Silent Courage
by GerdenGerudo
Summary: Link is having a hard time, with the tasks of being a knight, a loss of a friend, and all of Hyrule thinking she's a boy, she has a tough time balancing everything. But when old forces once again awaken, can she, along with old and new allies, defeat this new threat? Fem!Link.
1. Prolouge

Prologue: The Warning

"Sir Link, there are some Kargaroks in the field," a guard tells me as I pass him in the castle corridor. I simply nod with an inward sigh before starting to go.

"Sir Link!" a lady in a ruffled dress walks by, it takes all my strength not to laugh. "Oh there you are, my boy. Could you deliver this to Telma?" she asks and hands me a letter. I nod and she leaves before I can blink.

I shake my head and sigh as I come into Zelda's thrown room. I bow respectfully on one knee and lower my head. "Good day, Link," Zelda says as I rise with a scowl on my face. "What? Have a bad day?" she asks with a giggle. I nod with a frown, making her burst into laughter. "Probably better than me, I have to go to three more council meetings before lunch and you need to come to the next one."

I look at my feet with a sigh, get ready for a boring meeting. Zelda laughs. "Come on, Link, they aren't that bad. At least you don't have to pay attention…that much," she adds.

"Princess Zelda, Sir Link, the meeting is ready," a runner boy comes in, bows and leaves with one breath.

"Are you okay?" Zelda asks me while we walk. "You're very quiet today." I glare at her, but her she remains serious. "You aren't being very responsive and you're not even communicating with me. What's wrong?"

I think about it for a few seconds before nodding. 'Stressed,' I sigh. 'A lot has happened in the past two months and it only feels like two days.'

"Everything will sort out, Link," Zelda tells me. "In the meantime, we need to focus on rebuilding the government."

'I hate politics,' I mind-grumble, making Zelda laugh.

"Really? I haven't noticed," she giggles. I give her a small smile as we come in and sit in the large circle room, her face now showing no emotion. She gestures towards the Head Council for him to start.

"As you know…" I lose interest right there and then. I look around the room in boredom and see many trying to stifle yawns. I look at everyone, there is Matthew Colven, who is the Head Council member, he has a long brown-going-grey beard and sort trimmed blading brown hair, his grey eyes survey everyone as they speak.

Then there is Alexander Jonny, he's the Chancellor's son-in-law and has black hair and brown eyes. We lock eyes and scowl at each other, we hate one another with a passion and that is not a secret. He keeps trying to get Zelda to marry him and accuses me of courting the Princess. The coal headed idiot.

After that is his brother, Adam Jonny. Instead of black hair he has red but still has the brown eyes. Despite Alex's and mine loathing of one another, Adam is a close friend to me. Only he, Zelda, Midna and my village know my secret.

After my friend is a cranky old man named Jack. He doesn't seem to like anybody and is always smoking on a pipe. He has no hair and a thick salt and pepper beard and he looks older than 100 years old in my opinion, but he is really only 87. He has white, colourless eyes that don't miss anything.

After Keese-Crap Crazy Jack (me and Adam call him that) is a young Gerudo woman named Nura. She and I didn't like each other for a while, but after I saved her from a pack of Wolfos, we became friends. But I haven't told her my secret yet. I plan to though.

The last one is a middle aged woman named Penelope. She has a good heart, but get on her bad side and prepare for a world of hurt. She has blond hair and green eyes that can't hide a thing.

"…What do you think, Sir Link?" the Chancellor's voice brings me back. I just shrug my shoulders sheepishly. "You weren't listening were you?" he asks. I shake my head. "Do you think that we should build more villages or ranches?" he asks.

I think about it. The only villages I know of are Ordon and Kakariko, and the only ranch is Lon-Lon. But there are no others than that. I nod. "You need to start paying attention boy!" Keese-Crap Crazy Jack snaps at me. "I don't like people repeated themselves!"

"Yeah, if you can't talk you might as well listen!" Alex sneers. If looks could kill, he should, by all rights, be dead seven times over.

"Alex," the Chancellor warns his first son-in-law. "Unneeded comments like that are what got you in here."

"It's the truth!" the boy defends himself. "If Mr. Mute Hero over there doesn't listen then why have him in the council?"

"He was called to this meeting," Zelda says.

'Unfortunately,' I think.

"May we move on to other matters?" Penelope asks. Ah good ol' Penelope, always trying to be the peacemaker.

"Hey, Linky," Adam whispers from my other side, I glare at him but he ignores it. "Wanna throw eggs at rich, snobby girls after this?" he asks. I smirk and nod as the meeting goes on.

After another half hour of that load of goat, me and Adam sneak out of the castle and over the rooftops before coming to the snobby rich-girl district. "You think anybody figured it out yet?" Adam asks as he hits a brown haired bimbo in the butt.

'Pervert,' I think as I shrug and throw an egg at the head of a redheaded idiot, hitting her dead on.

"Cheater," Adam whispers. I raise an eyebrow at him. "You've got more target practice than me," he says. I smirk and stick out my tongue before hitting some girl in the face. "Sorry 'bout Alex earlier, you know how he is," Adam says.

I roll my eyes. 'I'd like to hit him with an egg,' I think but shrug it off.

"Why do you hate each other again?" he asks, I just look at him blankly. "Oh right, you can't tell me," he laughs.

Twenty-five eggs and girls-screming-their-heads-off-and-running-around-like-headless-Cuccos later, we are lying on top of the castle roof and are stargazing. "Ever wonder what those are?" Adam asks in a dreamy sort of voice. I nod slowly, I have always liked stars, I don't know why.

Then we spot a shooting star. "Hey Linky, look," Adam says in awe. I stare at the star, ignoring the stinking nickname he gives me, and smile. "We gotta make a wish!"

I close my eyes and think, there isn't much I want. I have good friends, have saved them and Hyrule and the only thing that I am sad about is Midna, but I know she hast to make order in the Twilight Realm. I open my eyes and just watch the star, I don't want anything to change.

After it leaves, Adam looks at me. "Wish for anything?" he asks. I shake my head. "Why not? You could have asked for a voice," he says. I just shrug. I probably wouldn't even use my voice, it would be strange to me to be able to talk. Plus it reminds everybody that I am still human-or Hylian- and that, even though I am a Hero and saved Hyrule, I'm not perfect.

Adam seems to guess what I am thinking, because he says, "I like how you accept your life, Linky. But in all honesty, I feel a little bad for you." I look at him curiously, wondering why he'd say that. "You went through so much and how do we repay you? By making you do tasks that are simple and easy," he seems to not like this at all.

I sigh, how can I get him to understand that I don't care? I like helping people, whether it's a big or small task. "Well let's go. Dad'll wonder where I am," he says and leaves with me not too long after.

I come to my rooms and sigh as I fall on my bed. I have felt so tiered recently and I don't even know why.

"Link….open your eyes," a distant voice calls through the cloudy mist behind my eyes.

'Huh?' I think as I do as the voice commands. I look around to find I'm in a strange place, darkness all around me with small islands of light in random places. I look at my feet to see I am standing on one of these islands, with six different coloured circles surrounding me. One is green, another red, third a blue, fourth a dark purple, the fifth one is orange and the last is yellow, with someone standing on it.

I narrow my eyes at the stranger, he has a white and black robe on, a full head of snow white hair and deep, sea blue eyes that look familiar. He cracks a smile at me, "So you are the Hero of Twilight…or should I say _Heroine_ of Twilight?" he chuckles.

'Say whatever you want,' I think.

"You know you can speak right now, right?" he crosses his arms.

"I can?" I ask, my voice faint and scratchy from underuse. "Weird," I mutter before coughing.

"You wish to know who I am, don't you?" he asks. I nod. "I'm Link, the Hero of Time," he said. My jaw drops.

"Say what?" I ask, still not used to this voice.

"I'm the Hero of Time. Ironic how we have the same name, eh?" he asks with a laugh.

"But, if you're the Hero of Time…then you're reeeeeallly old," I say. "Oh wait did I say that? Heh, I think what I think," I rub the back of my head sheepishly.

"No worries. And yes, compared to you I am very old." Good to know the Hero of Time had a sense of humor. "Do you know where you are?"

"A dark place with floating lights everywhere," I deadpan.

"You're in the Sacred Realm," he shakes his head.

"I'm dead?"

"No, I had to summon you. I have a warning."

"Warning?" I echo.

"Something is coming, it will take over Hyrule much like the Twilight did. I ask a favour of you, I want you to find five more sages, I am the sixth, and awaken them," he says.

"But, aren't they guarding the Mirror?" I ask.

"Those are different Sages; their only purpose is to guard the Mirror. The Sages I want you to look for are all over Hyrule. They are in the Lost Woods, in Death Mountain, at Zora's Domain, in Gerudo Valley and the last is one of the Sheikah."

"Question," I put my hand in the air. "Who would I be looking for in the Lost Woods? I seriously doubt that it's Skullkid. And the Gerudo would probably hate me since I killed their 'king.' And lastly, no one knows if the Sheikah are even alive, much less where they are."

"In that order: Kokiri. No it's not Skullkid. They hate Hylian and men too, which you currently are and/are posing as. Just look for someone of that blood."

"Kokiri? But I thought they were extinct."

"No, they're alive. And they are hiding in the Lost Woods. It would be easiest to go there first. But before you go, I need to give you my power," he says and seconds later a yellow medallion floats above me and when I take it, it flashes for a second and melts into my skin. "Good luck," he says before everything fades.


	2. Chapter 1

GerdenGerudo: Hey! Wow, someone liked my story? Thank you so much TheListlessAuthor! That means so much to me!

Nura: Awesome! Now we're getting to the good stuff!

Adam: Ho boy, Linky's has some messed up dreams!

Gery: Yep! Now, Alex, would you like to do the Disclaimer?

Alex: No.

Gery: Fine! Mr. Sourpuss! Oh! And this chapter's much longer than the Prolouge, Gery out!

Disclaimer: Do you really think I own Zelda?

Chap 1: The Forgotten Forest of Kokiri

My eyes snap open but I instantly close them when the sun blinds me. After adjusting, I look around, stretching and yawning widely. 'What a weird dream,' I think to myself. 'Wait…that wasn't a dream…Holy Goddesses we're in trouble!' I realize before throwing on baggy grey breeches and pulling a blue tunic over my white long-sleeved shirt. I don't even bother with my hair since it's an untameable mess and run through the castle.

"Good day, Sir Link," multiple people greet as I dash passed them in my hurry.

I pant and regain my breath for a few seconds before straightening and opening the door to the throne room.

Luckily, Zelda is here.

Unluckily, so is Alex.

The black haired, older sibling of one of my best friends glares at me and I return the glare. "What do you want, mute?" He snaps.

'For you to die in a fire,' I think before looking at Zelda. 'I gotta tell you something.'

She gives a small nod before looking at Alex. "Could you excuse us for a few moments, Alexander?" Zelda asks.

"Yes, my Princess," he bows deeply and pushes past me as he leaves.

I do the mature thing and stick my tongue out at him behind his back, making Zelda laugh. "And you're the one who saved us all," she giggles. But she quickly becomes serious. "What's wrong?"

'I had a dreamish/vision last night and I was talking to the Hero of Time in the Sacred Realm. I'm supposed to go find and awaken some sages over Hyrule or something like the Twilight will come,' I tell her in one…what's an equivalent to 'breath' when you can't speak?

"I see. Thanks for letting me know, Link," Zelda nod. "When are you going?"

'Probably tomorrow 'round noon. I gotta do some errands today,' I explain. My friend nods and I run out.

(_She has too good a heart,_ Zelda muses as her masqueraded friend runs from the room).

(A/N: In case you couldn't guess, (this) means that it is someone's third point of view during the same moments in the scene.)

"Why, if it isn't Link," Telma grins as I step into the bar. "How's life been sonny?" she asks.

I smile and shrug, making a 'so-so' gesture with my hand. "Not too busy?" she asks as I sit at the bar. I shake my head and hand her the letter. "Oh, thank you sonny. I was waiting for this bill for some time," she smiles broadly. "Want a drink?"

I shake my head fast, making her chuckle. "You're the only teenager around here who I know doesn't drink," she muses.

"That's a good thing. I don't want to leave Hyrule in the hands of a drunk," Rusl jokes as he comes over. I smile at him as he sits down. "How are your sword skills going lad," he grins at the 'lad' part. "Would you like to spar later on?" my ears prick up at the thought of a mock duel with my old mentor. I nod and he smiles.

"I hope you haven't gotten rusty," Rusl says as we come to the field. He hands me my old wooden sword and we start. Ten minutes later, I have my sword at Rusl's neck in a position that would kill him in a second. He nods his head in approval then heads back.

I walk through Castle Town, not having been to the market for a while, I want to look around. After some wandering, I bump into someone and nod a small apology before I am being taken by surprise from the person attack-hugging me.

I look up and realize it's Ilia! I smile and hug back, not having seen my friend in about two months. "How have you been?" she asks as we walk away. I make the 'so-so' sign and shrug. "Anything interesting happen?" she asks.

'I had a dream about the Hero of Time, if that's what you mean,' I think.

"So what happened?" a group of girls are washing their dresses and I hold back a laugh as I realize they are the people me and Adam threw eggs at.

"I don't know. I was just showing off myself to some guys when a rotten Cucco egg was thrown at my face," another one says.

Ilia looks at me knowingly. "And people call you a hero," she says with a laugh. I shrug and chuckle as we walk along. "Do you even notice the looks girls give you?" Ilia asks me. I just look at her blankly.

Sighing, my best friend jerks her head at a bunch of girls who are eyeballing me. When I look at them they giggle and start whispering among themselves. Ilia laughs as I look away with a slightly disturbed look on my face. 'Farore save me.'

We are walking in the castle when a familiar voice calls. "Hey, Linky!" Adam runs over as I glare.

'You're lucky I'm a mute child,' my thoughts must be showing on my face, because he grins nervously as Ilia giggles.

"Hehehe," he shrugs. "Anyway, Zelda told me you're going on another quest. I'm going with you this time."

"Wow, not even two months and Hyrule's already in trouble," Ilia comments. I look at her and raise an eyebrow. "No thanks. I'll stay in Ordon thank you." I nod.

"You understood he-him?" Adam whispers as people passed.

"We've known each other since we were two and one," Ilia explains.

"What about Zelda? She can understand you," Adam asks.

I put my hands up and shake them, signalling magic. "You blame that for everything," Adam says. I just smirk.

"You should get packing," Ilia tells us like the mother-Cucco she is. I nod and she follows me to my room. "How long do you think you'll be?" Ilia asks as she sits on my bed. I just shrug and toss my Hero's Clothes on the dresser and get all my weapons. "You'll be ready for anything," Ilia says.

'Yep,' I nod with a stretch and yawn.

"Cover your mouth," Ilia scolds. I just roll my eyes. "Nayru's Love and I'm younger than you," she mutters. I chuckle as I lie on my bed. She goes into the spare room and I fall asleep the moment the door closes.

"Link, wake up!" a voice yells, but I wave it away and turn over, putting the pillow over my head. "Get up you lazy child!" the voice says as footsteps come over and someone pulls the covers off me.

Grumbling as much as a mute can, I sit up and glare slightly at Ilia before she throws the Hero's Clothes in my face. "Finally you lazy g-boy, I've been waiting for you to wake up for a whole hour now."

Ignoring the 'lazy g-boy' comment, I get up and quickly put on my tunic. It feels so good wearing the old clothes. "You make a more believable boy in that," Ilia says. I shrug as I put my hat on and hang my belt and never-ending bag on my waist.

"Adam's waiting for you in the throne room with Zelda," Ilia tells me and I nod my thanks before running there.

I come in and sigh when I see Alex arguing with Adam. Just because I can, I whack the coal headed idiot over the head as I walk past. "Hey!" he protests before pulling me back. "You are not going around Hyrule with my younger brother, you got that?" he demands.

"I volunteered to go with him," Adam explains. "And I'm only younger by two years!"

"Will you stop it?" Zelda asks as she and Nura come in.

"Hey there, Linky," Nura grins. I glare at her icily but she only grins more.

I give Adam a 'you started something' look and he shrugs. "So why are we here?" Nura asks.

"Link had a vision the other day and I want you four to go and find the sages," Zelda explains.

"What?" we all yell and/or think. "You can't make me go with him!" Alex complains.

'C'mon, Zelly! What did I do?' I ask her.

"It will be easier to find them if there are more of you," Zelda says calmly.

"There is no way in Din's Hell that I'm cooperating with that mute!" Alex snaps. "It's bad enough that I have to see him at council meetings, but now I have to fight with him? No way, Princess!"

'Zelda, I hate to admit it, but I agree. I can't even go a day without fighting with him at least six times,' I try to reason.

"No, you all need to do this," Zelda shakes her head, signalling that she will take none of this.

'Fine,' I sigh reluctantly as Alex and me glare at each other.

"The first you should find is among the Kokiri, they're deep in the Lost Woods," Zelda says.

"Kokiri? You've got to be kidding. Even if they were real, how would we find them?" Nura asks good-heartedly.

'Follow the music,' I think to Zelda. 'There'll be music playing in the woods and that will lead us there.' Zelda looks at me in shock, causing the other to look at me. Then I realize what I thought. 'I didn't know I knew that.'

"That doesn't matter," Zelda says. "It's good to know how to find them."

"What?" Adam asks. "What did Link do?"

"Since we both share a piece of the Triforce, we are able to communicate telepathically," Zelda explains.

"Great, now we'll be stuck with a full mute when we go," Alex sneers. I glare at him.

"Now is not the time. You four should go now and you might make it to Faron Woods before nightfall," Zelda says with a sigh.

Nodding, we all leave. "Hey, mute, why didn't you tell us that you could 'talk' to Zelda?" Alex mocks.

I glare at him and am tempted to punch him, but Nura grabs my tunic and holds me back. "C'mon you two. And Alex, stop being a jackass," she snaps.

We go to the stables and I smile when I walk to Epona and pat her nose. 'Hey, girl,' I pull a sugar cube out of my pocket and give it to her. 'We're going on another journey,' I inform her as I brush and saddle the mare.

She neighs like she hears me and nudges my chest. Laughing quietly, I rub her ear affectionately before mounting. The others aren't even done yet. Alex is next and he comes up to me on a black and white pinto mare. Ironic how both us and our horses despise each other. "Listen here, Mute, if I find out you're only doing this to make Princess Zelda fancy you, I'll punch you so hard in the face, even your grandchildren's grandchildren will hurt!" he threatens.

'Try me,' my face says it all.

"That's it," I hear Nura mutter and next thing I know, both mine and Alex's ears are being pulled and we are yanked off our horses. Mine hurts more since I have the Hylian ears, but the Gerudo just ignored my pained face. "Listen, could you two try not to kill each other, insult, death glare or do anything along those lines for this? It would be appreciated," she snaps.

'I will if he does.'

"No way!" Alex yells and our heads are banged together by Nura.

"Now, stop bugging each other and don't even talk-" I glare at her. "Fine-don't even look at each other if that helps."

We glare at each other, but that only gets our heads banged again. "Understand?"

She lets go and I hold my ear as she mounts her chestnut gelding. As she does, Adam comes over as he rides a golden coated, black mined stallion. "What happened to you?" he asks me when he sees my still red ear. I jerked my head at Nura. "Nura, what did you do?"

"I got them to stop fighting for a bit...hopefully," she adds. "If they don't I'm slapping them."

"You can't slap us!" Alex protests, but gets slapped. I laugh quietly, but Nura hears me and slaps me too.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she snaps at Alex. "You're lucky that I agreed to come, Zelda said I could get you into the Gerudo Valley."

"Why do we need your help?" Alex asks. "It's bad enough having the mute here, why do we haft to take a girl with us on something she'll most likely scream of?" he gets a slap for that. I would like to punch him, but that would make them suspicious.

"The Gerudo aren't fond of men, and women are stronger than you think… well can be," she adds after some thought. "You need to respect us and Link," she says.

'And me,' I think with an inward sigh.

"He is the one who saved us after all. The least you could do is be grateful that we aren't under control of Ganon thanks to him."

'I'm right here you know,' I hate being talked about like I can't hear anything. I mute people, not deaf!

"Can we go please?" Adam asks and we all leave in silence. But after we get out, Adam starts talking. "Hey, aren't those the girls…" he trails off. I nod with a smirk as we ride past some snobby girls.

"Hello, Sir Link," one bows.

'Good bye, Miss Bimbo,' my thoughts must be showing on my face, since Adam laughs.

(_Lucky mute_, Alex thinks. _Why does he get all the attention? He doesn't even like it for Din's Sake!_)

"When we get back, we should do it again," Adam whispers. I nod. Suddenly, we both get hit in the back of our heads and look around to see Nura glaring murder at us. I grin nervously as Adam goes pale. "We're dead once we get out of hearing distance, aren't we?" he asks.

"Yes," she replies coldly. Me and Adam look at each other for a second.

"It was his idea," Adam points at me. I give him a 'what the Din's Hell' look as Nura glares.

Just for what he said, we get hit over the head again. "Shutting up," Adam says. Once we are outside, me and Adam gallop off as Nura runs after us. "This is all your fault, Linky!" he yells at me.

I glare at him and kick him off his horse, making him fall into the mud and get punched in the face by Nura as she comes over. "Link, get back here!" she yell as she mounts her horse and dashes after me.

Suddenly a song plays and I gulp, Nura just played Epona's Song. My mare halts, making me almost fly off her back, and rears up before turning around. 'That's just cheating!' I think as Epona comes to her and Nura kicks me in the chest.

I fall back and she pins me. "Link, you need to stop throwing eggs at girls, even if they are snobby." She lowers her voice and whispers into my ear, "It won't make you the most likable person when they figure out what you're hiding." My face pales as she gets up and helps me up.

'H-how'd she know?' my thoughts are obviously on my face, since she cracks a smile.

"You didn't think that that could hide that from me, did you?" she asks.

(Alex glares at Nura and Link as the Gerudo whispers something into the Hero's ear. Whatever the desert woman says, it makes Link pale. _He's hiding something_, Alex decides. _And I'll find out what it is_.)

I look at Adam for help, but he just shrugs that he didn't know. "We should go," he says and we mount.

I look at Nura and she basically reads my mind. "I've known for a week. I saw Adam and he was talking to you, although I couldn't see you, and he was yelling loudly. I heard him say, 'If someone finds out you're a girl in the next six days, you give me a red Rupee,' and I just kept that to myself," she whispers so Alex can't hear.

"Pay up," Adam holds out his hand. Grumbling, I put a red Rupee in his hand and stick my tongue out at him. "You're so immature."

"He's the youngest, of course he's immature," Alex dryly remarks as he comes up beside Nura.

"Shut up will you? We need to go to Faron. Luckily, Link knows the forest," Nura says.

It doesn't take too long to get to Coro's home, the afro forest dude waves to me as we pass and I nod before we come to the gate to the darker part of Faron. I dismount and wave for them to follow. "Why can't we ride?" Alex asks like I'm stupid.

I walk forward and a Deku Baba jumps up, making them all freak out and one of them scream like a girl. "Nura," Adam teases as I kill the plant. "I know it was shocking, but really?"

"Wasn't me ginger-boy," she deadpans. All heads turn to Alex, he only glares at us (mostly me) and looks away.

Rolling our eyes, we go through the tunnel and I pull out my lantern. "Where did you get that?" Adam asks.

I make a motion with my hands that make it seem like I have big hair. "Oh, Coro?" he asks, I nod.

"How the Din's Hell can you understand him?" Alex snaps.

"Because I can," Adam says and laughs at his brother's face.

"Let's go," Nura says as I start walking.

"Um… are those spider webs?" Adam asks as I burn them. I nod before remembering he is afraid of spiders. Should I tell him about the Skulltulas? Too bad I can't.

Once we make it through, I notice the purple smog is still around, just not as thick. "Great, you led us to our death, Mute Boy!" Alex snaps.

I roll my eyes and walk toward the smog before swinging the lantern around. 'Thank you monkey,' I think as the smog clears. I look back and smirk at Alex, but get slapped by Nura. I look at her in a 'what the Din's Hell' way and she only grins.

"Nothing cancels out what I said before," she says and I grumble as I walk forward and take the short way to the gate.

"Must suck to be you," Adam teases, and gets smacked by Nura. "Is this becoming a hobby? 'I'm just going to slap my friends and Alex when they say something?'" Adam asks. I snort my laughter, and of course I get slapped across the head.

"Yes," she replies and we keep on walking.

'Oh-no,' I think as we come to the clearing before the Forest Temple. The seller bird is looking around and I look away. 'Dammit Midna, why did you have to steal the oil?'

"What's your problem, Mute?" Alex asks.

I just walk faster to the gorge, trying not to look the bird in the eye. 'Where's that Cucco?' I look around before spotting it. I pick it up and look at the others, Adam looks curios, Nura looks skeptical and Alex just scowls.

"What in Nayru's Love are we going to do with a Cucco," Alex yells.

I spot some other Gold Cuccos and point to them, then to the one in my hand before jumping off the cliff and flying to an out-hanging, I land and wave for them to come on. "Today is a good day to die!" Adam yells as he takes a leap of faith, followed by Alex (who is pushed by Nura) and then Nura.

Once we are at the forest entrance, I look at the Howling Stone. "What's that?" Adam asks as we walk over to it.

"I don't know," Nura whispers. I close my eyes and listen to the song it sings, a small smile on my face. It feels so long ago that I was here.

"Who cares?" Alex asks. "Let's just go."

When we enter, Nura spots the second Howling Stone. "Hey, this one has the Triforce on it!" she exclaims.

I'm not paying attention. I'm looking out for Skullkid, and am surprised when I see the way to the woods open. I tap Nura on the shoulder (Adam and Alex are fighting) and point. "Hey buttheads!" she calls and they look over.

Both me and Nura exchange a look that says, "I can't believe they answered to that," before walking over to the entrance.

"How do we find the Kokiri again?" Adam asks.

"Zelda said that Link mentioned about following music," Nura says. "But I can't figure out why."

"And without Zelda, he's an even bigger mute," Alex says. I roll my eyes before closing them and listening. I can hear a faint song being played and crack a smile before walking towards it. "Hey, where's he going?" Alex asks.

"C'mon!" they catch up and follow me as I listen. "Hey, Linky, have I ever told you how useful your ears are?"

"The only useful thing about him is that he's a Hylian," Alex scoffs and I hear a slap. I snicker, but get hit the back of the head.

"Woops, your head got in the way of the nut," Nura calls. I turn around and stick out my tongue as I walk backwards. She does the same before running up to me and tripping me. With a grunt, I fall back and Nura laughs as I get up, smirking.

"Honestly, I'm not even the oldest here and I'm more ma-" Alex starts but is cut off when something cracks and he falls to the ground, stunned. I walk over and look at his feet before picking up a nut shell.

'Deku Nut,' I realize. Just then, I hear two screams and Nura and Adam are hit as well. I look in the trees to see Skullkids coming from everywhere. They throw nuts at me, but I dodge, back flip over their heads and jump to the side. But the second my feet touched the ground, the floor gives way and I fall through with a frightened scream, not girly might I add.

I land on a rock and the wind is knocked out of me as I start to get up. I look around to see a denser forest where the trees are so close together that not even light can get through. The song is playing even louder and the air seems thick to me.

I get up and start to follow the music, but the thick air starts to get thicker, my chest feels like I am trying to breathe in water. Which hurts, believe me. I'm snapped out of it when I hear a small voice cry in the distance. I run to where it is and see some plants that look like Octorocks spitting seeds at something on the ground.

I dash over and Shield Attack one before stabbing it in the mouth. The other one jumps back and shoots at me, hitting me in the chest. I grit my teeth as blood bursts from the wound. The seed is surprisingly sharp and is piercing my skin on right my collarbone.

I jump to the side and preform the Back Slice before I go over to the thing on the ground, it is glowing blue and has four wings telling me which way it's looking. Suddenly it seems to look my way and flies up to my face, making me jump and fall back into a puddle. "Oh my Goddesses, I can't believe it's you!" the light cries in happiness.

I raise an eyebrow curiously as it flies around my head like it is looking me over. "You're the Hero of Twilight aren't you?" the light asks. I nod. "Well nice to meet you. My name's Navi, what's yours?"

I get onto my knees and draw two circles in the mud before connecting them. "Link, your name is Link?" Navi asks. I nod and smile.

'I wonder what Navi is,' I think as I get up.

'I'm a Fairy,' Navi's voice echoes in my head, making me stumble back and fall onto the ground again. 'You're clumsy aren't you?' Navi laughs as she sits on my shoulder.

'How'd you do that?' I ask, looking at her.

'Fairies are magic,' Navi explains shortly.

Suddenly my head start to pound, my chest is bleeding heavily and my head is getting clouded from the mist that's hovering over the forest. I can faintly hear Navi calling to me in both my mind and ears as the edges of my eyes start to fade and become dark. The last thing I hear is Navi called my name.

I'm woken up by a stinging sensation in my chest. I sit up with a gasp and rub my head as dizziness swarms my brain. "Hey, you're awake!" a voice cries in glee as I regained sight. I see a girl with green hair and eyes smiling at me. She wears a green tunic much like mine, except hers are more girly. She holds her hair back with a green head band. "Are you alright?" she asks.

I nod groggily as I rub my temples. "Thank you for saving Navi, she's one of our oldest fairies around here," the girl says as she gets onto the bed I'm on and sits on my torso. "I'm Sage, the direct decedent of Saria," she says proudly with her chest up high. "What's your name?"

I look around but can't find anything that I can use to tell my name. "What's the matter? Can't you talk?" Sage asks. I shake my head and she grins. "I bet I can guess your name!" I shrug. "Okay, Jack?" I shake my head. "Alexander?" I shake my head with a scowl. "David?

"He-his name's Link," Navi flies in with a red fairy.

"Really? That's weird," the red fairy says as I sit up, making the girl fall to my lap. "What are you doing here, Link?"

'I'm looking for the Sage and-where are my friends?' I look at Navi.

"What friends? You came here alone," she says.

I explain to her what happened with the Skullkids and the rim of her glow turns black with worry. "Oh Goddess, are you going to look for them?" she asks.

I nod. "Well, they're probably at the Skullkid camp. Sage, Shelly and I can take you there," Navi offers.

"Skullkids? Yeah, it's always good to have a fairy and a Kokiri with them around. They don't like adults," Sage says.

"Well, Masked Skullkid doesn't mind them. But that doesn't matter. We should go, now that Link's wound is healed," Navi says as Sage gets off me and I stand up. But I bump my head on the low roof, gasp and hold my head as the others laugh. "I forgot to warn you, you're in Kokiri Forest so everyone is a kid."

I shake my head as I follow Sage and the two fairies outside and look around in wonder. There is a large clearing surrounded by trees with huge tree stumps scattered around, there's a stream with kids swimming and there are three ways out. One leads into a hollowed out tunnel, another cuts through a hill and a third goes into a forest.

"C'mon! The Great Deku Tree might want to talk to you," Sage says and tugs my hand to make me follow her to the hill cut path.

I have to smile at her, I always enjoyed kids. Guess it helps that there are some at my village. It takes about an hour, but Sage finally brings me to a clearing and my jaw drops. Sitting there is a large tree that could match Stallord's and Morpheel's heights put together.

"Great Deku Tree, I brought someone to see you," Sage says with a bow before walking off.

'Welcome, Hero of Twilight. I sensed that you would be coming,' a voice says and I look around the clearing frantically for the source.

"It's the Great Deku Tree, Link," Navi whispers in my ear.

I look at the tree in surprise. 'Hero of Twilight, you may already know of this, but I ask you to awaken the Forest Sage. There is a dark force coming from the Temple deep within the Lost Woods that is preventing the sage to be awakened. But I know you wish to find your friends. I have some things that will help,' he says and shakes his branches.

Two things fall down and I catch them. One is a brown instrument and the other is a pouch. I look at the Deku Tree in confusion. 'That is an Ocarina. When you play it, strange things will happen. And in the pouch is a rare stone that only the chosen one of the Goddess Farore can touch, you can hang it around your neck.'

I lift the bag upside-down and look the stone over; it has the Triforce with three stones in it. I look at the Deku Tree again. 'This stone will allow you to become the size of a fairy so you may sneak past the Skullkids and get to your friends,' he explains.

I look at the stone sceptically before putting it around my neck by the leather strip on it and hide it under my tunic. 'To return to the Upper part of the Lost Woods, play this song,' he says and the wind plays a slow moving toon.

I nod. 'Navi, I wish you to go with Link. This young Hero will need your help to communicate with her friends,' the Deku Tree says.

"You got it Great Deku Tree," Navi agrees and lands on my shoulder. "Okay, so play the song and we'll go to the Upper Lost Woods."

I pull the Ocarina to my lips and play, somehow my fingers know which hole to cover and uncover as I play the song with my eyes closed. I open them just in time to see green lights float around me and I am taken off my feet.

Once I land, I look around for a second before my stomach rebels and I run to the side to empty my stomach of the little food I have left. Navi pats my ear as I rinse my mouth and cough. "You okay?" she asks.

I nod at her. "Hey, why don't you use that stone? I want to see you from my height," Navi says.

I hold the stone out and look at her with a raised eyebrow. "The Deku Tree didn't tell us how to use this, did he?" she asks. I shake my head. "Maybe just hold it and think," she suggests.

I shrug and close my eyes. I gasp as air rushes past me and I stumble a few steps before falling onto my back with a groan, the world spinning madly. I lift my body on my elbows and shake my head as I faintly see Navi fly down. "Are you alright?"

I shake my head again and look at her, eyes widening in surprise. She looks around the age of a thirty-year-old woman with long blue hair that reaches her back and light blue eyes, she also has blue skin and ears like a Hylian.

I look around and blink. 'It looks so different,' I stand up. I'm shorter than Navi by about two inches or so, in fairy height anyway.

"I couldn't imagine," Navi smiles, "So, any side effects?" she asks as she walks over.

I look down at my feet and over my body. 'Don't think so,' I take a step forward. Nothing bad happens. 'Why? Is my skin turning yellow or something?' I ask, pulling my tunic, chain mail and under shirt up to look at my belly.

"No, I see nothing wrong," she shakes her head with a small laugh. "But I just want to see something," she says as she stepped towards me and puts a hand on my forehead. "Well you don't feel hot. I'd say nothing's wrong."

'That's good,' it's strange seeing a blade of grass look like a tree. 'So I would just have to hold the stone to change back?'

"I would think so," Navi nods. I hold the stone and the gust of wind rushes passed me again as my body stretches and goes back to normal. Navi flies up and feels my forehead again. "You seem to be taking this rather well."

'I guess the Twilight helped,' I shrug.

"To save your friends, you're going to have to get captured by the Skullkids," Navi says thoughtfully.

'Okay,' I start to walk around.

After fifteen minutes, there's a laugh and I grit my teeth when a Deku Nut is thrown at my back. Navi hides in my hat as Skull Kids come out and tie my hands and feet up before dragging me off.

I blink when we come to a large tree that looks about the size of Kokiri Forest with Skull Kids running and swinging through the branches. The Skull Kids that have gotten me drag me down to the dungeons and throw me in, laughing as they leave.

'That happened fast,' I comment as I look around. I spot a dark shape in the corner and go over to find Nura. I shake her shoulder with a smile and wake her. She looks up at me with slightly hazy eyes and the next thing I know, my face is stinging and I fall back, holding my eye where she punched it.

I don't think she knows it's me, considering she kicks me in the gut and steps on my chest with a heavy foot. "Try to attack me again you Skull-Link?" she asks and jumps off. I groan in response. "Oh, Goddess of the Sand, I am so sorry," she helps me up.

I just hold my gut and smile slightly at her. "You have violent friends," Navi comments as she flies out of my hat.

"A fairy? Man, you keep getting more and more unique," Nura states as she leans on my shoulder. I roll my eyes, just because I'm shorter than her she has to do this? "I'm Nura," the Gerudo introduces.

"Navi," the fairy's aura glows slightly brighter.

'Where are the Buttheads?' I look at Nura.

She seems to know what I am asking. "They're four cells down that way." She points to the left. "Why? It's not like you can get out of here."

I grin and pull the stone out, showing her. "Pretty," she nods. "What's it for?"

I only grin again and close my eyes. Nura yelps and jumps back when I become Navi's height. "How did you do that?"

"It's the stone. It allows her to become the size of a fairy," Navi explains.

"Nice. So you can get us out. But you'll need the keys first," Nura says as she crouches. "You'll have to be careful. You never know what might happen."

I nod before heading to the bars. "You need to be careful with the bars, Link," Navi tells me as she flies down and lands beside me. "These thorns are covered in toxins that will kill you and turn you into a Stalfos before you could say 'Deku Seed,'" she warns.

"The guard is at their cell. So you'll need to go down there," Nura says as she sits by the wall.

I walk to the bars and climb on, taking caution in not touching the thorns, and jump to the other side. I walk only a few steps when I hear shouting from a far off cell. 'Navi, could you pick me up? I don't think we can waste much time,' I ask.

'I was about to offer,' the fairy says and lifts my up under my arms. It is pretty neat flying. But my mind is taken off of that when some Skull Kids walk by and whack both me and Navi aside. We are sent different ways and I close my eyes as I fly through some bars and land on my stomach.

I pick myself up and look up to see Alex and Adam sitting on the ground with their backs on the wall, both with crossed arms and glaring at each other. I walk over to them and am about to use the stone when a Skull Kid comes in. "You no sleep. You come with Skull Kid in five minute," he says before going.

"Great, we're probably going to die," Adam says.

"Where not going to be killed by kids," Alex says.

"But they have spears!"

"We have fists. They both inflict pain."

"They can shoot poison arrows at us."

"They can, doesn't mean they will."

"They-oh my Goddess a spider!" Adam yelps suddenly. I look, trying to find it, when a foot slams down by me.

'Nayru's Love!' I think as I jump back.

"Wait…is that? Never mind, it's a spider," Alex says.

"Huh?" Adam says as I pick myself up. "Link? Why are you tiny?" he asks as he pokes my stomach. I slap his hand away and glare at him.

"So Mr. Mighty Hero is the size of a bug now, eh?" Alex sneers.

"He can help us like this! Link, there are some keys just over there. D'you think you can get them and get us out?" Adam asks.

I nod and start to go when I am picked up by my tunic. "It will take too long if he walks. I'll just shoot him over with my sling shot," Alex says as he pulls out said sling shot.

My eyes widen and I struggle, but Alex puts me on the sling shot and aims me at the keys. He releases and I gasp as I fly through the air. I grab the keys and hold on with my eyes closed for a few seconds before opening my eyes. 'Despite being a jerk, he has good aim,' I muse as I start swinging the keys in an attempt to get them off.

Once I get them off, I turn back to my regular size and pick up Navi, putting her in my hat before unlocking the cell. "How'd you get big?" Adam asks.

I shake my head for later as I unlocked Nura's cell and we run out to find ourselves in a long corridor. "Which way, Mute?" Alex demands.

I glare at him but my ears twitch and I look to the left to see some Skull Kids. Me and the others glance at each other before running the opposite way. But sadly we end up walking right into a room with a very large and fat Moblin walking around.

I quietly walk up behind it and am about to slash at it when a rock hits its head. The Moblin looks around stupidly before turning and seeing me standing there. It roars and I jump back as I take out my sword and shield, the Moblin slams his axe down and I side-step before stabbing the stupid pig in the stomach. I slash it a few more times before it falls and we keep going.

_Slap_! "Ow! Nura, what the Din's Hell?" Alex asks.

"You could have gotten us killed by shooting the Moblin!" she snaps.

I shush them when we come to some large doors. I feel Navi wake up and she lazily flies out and sits on my shoulder. "What is that?" Adam asks.

"I'm Navi. Is this the way out?" she asks.

We all shrug. "I'll take a look," she says and peeks in. "Good news: there's a way outside from here. Bad news: we have to get through a bunch of Skull Kids and Moblins," she tells us.

'I have an idea,' I think and tell Navi my plan, she translates it to the others and they nod.

"Good plan, Link," Adam smiles.

"Good luck," Nura says.

"Break your back," Alex states.

I roll my eyes before grabbing the stone. I sneak under the door and look around wearily. "Alright, ready Link?" Navi asks as she dims her glow.

'Nope,' I start walking to the other side. Suddenly a foot comes and kicks me in the side, sending me off to land in a hot spring filled with Moblins. I burst out of the water and shake my head as I start to swim to the edge, but the Moblins keep moving and the water washes me every-which-way.

Navi flies over and I wave at her as the Moblins start to move, making waves wash over me and send me underwater. I come back up and reach for Navi's hand as she comes over, and am just about to reach it when a Moblin steps beside me, making me sink under with the water and bring Navi with me.

We are tossed around and are coughing and gasping by the time we get out. I flop on my stomach and heave as I feel a hand on my back. I look up to see Navi rubbing my back with concern. 'Why aren't you gasping?' I ask.

"I don't breathe the same as you do. I can breathe under water," she explains.

I look at her and blink. 'That must be useful,' I remark as I stand up. She just smiles at me and we start walking.

But I am sent flying _again_ when another foot kicks me. I land on the arm of a Moblin and shake my head as I start to fall off. I grab the shredded shirt on the pig monster and look around for Navi, but when I spot her, I see she is having trouble getting over because Skull Kids keep talking to her.

'Oh Goddess,' I think as I look at the ground. 'I will break my leg if I jump, so that isn't an option.'

Suddenly the Moblin flicks me and I am sent airborne again and fly out the door, landing on my face outside. Groaning, I get up and sigh in relief when I see I am out. Navi flies over just as I grow to my normal size and I climb onto the window frame. I grab a fruit off the tree and throw it at the biggest Moblin I can find.

It look at my stupidly before roaring, causing every other monster in here to look at me, and run forward. I jump off the window and run towards the forest with all the monsters following me. I see the others running out the other way and follow them.

I catch up with them and we are all panting. "So now what?" Adam asks.

I wave my hand and start walking towards the hole. It doesn't take long to find it and I look at the others. "You cannot be serious, Mute," Alex scowls.

I roll my eyes and jump down, landing on my feet and I lean on a tree as the others come down, one of them screaming like a girl. "Really, Nura?" Adam asks.

"Like I said before, it wasn't me," the Gerudo says and we look at Alex again, he only scowls and looks away.

'If he gets scared by that, I can't wait to see whatever monsters we face in the Temple,' I think as we start following the music. We come to Kokiri Forest and I smirk at the other's faces.

I wave for them and we come into the Deeper Lost Woods. There is a rustle and Sage comes out, smiling. "You found your friends! Hiya! I'm Sage! C'mon, I can take you to the Temple!"

"I hate kids," I hear Alex mutter and then scream. I turn to see Navi biting Alex's ear and I fall onto the ground, clenching my stomach as I laugh.

"Get you're stupid fairy off me, Mute-Boy!" Alex yells.

I just smirk at him and rest my back on a tree, watching the amusing show. Sage comes over and taps my shoulder. "He isn't very nice," she whispers.

I nod in agreement as Alex runs around like a crazy drunk. As he runs past me, I stick out my foot and trip him. Navi lets go and flies to my shoulder, her aura red with rage. I snicker as I stand up and we start walking, Alex with mud all over his face.

"I hate you, Mute-Boy."

'The feeling's mutual,' I think as we follow Sage.

"We're almost there. It should only take about five more minutes to get to the maze," Sage tells us.

I notice Navi's aura shivering and I raise an eyebrow. 'You alright, Navi?'

'Last time I was in that maze, there were Moblins around every corner. You'll have to be careful,' she warns me.

Soon we come to the maze, Sage says she has to go and we shrug as she runs off. I slow down and put my back to the cliff beside me before peeking around the corner. I instantly pull back, there is certainly a Moblin there. But it is much bigger than any I have seen. "That's not good," Nura whispers as she squats on the cliff. "How will we get past? There are those Moblins everywhere. I could jump from the different cliffs, but what about the Buttheads?"

I look at them and then at the cliff, if they had a boost they could get up.

"I have an idea!" Adam says. "Okay, bend down, Linky!" I blink in puzzlement, ignoring the nickname, and just stare at him. "Trust me, now bend down."

Still confused, I bend down and gasp when he jumps on my shoulders. "Alright, now, walk to the cliff and I'll grab on," he points. I look up and blink at him. "C'mon, this'll work!"

Wobbling slightly, I walk to the cliff and he jumps off my shoulders and gets on. "See?" he grins.

"Alright, my turn, Mute," Alex pushes me down and steps on my back. "What are you waiting for?" he sneers.

'Farore's Spirit I hate him,' I shoved him off.

"Now children, be nice," we both glare at Nura, who grins innocently at us.

'About as innocent as a Skulltula,' I think.

"Alex, don't push him. Link, just do it for Din's Sake."

Rolling my eyes, I bend down and he steps on my shoulders, hard. Gritting my teeth, I walk over and he gets up. I rotate my shoulders until I hear a crack and start to look around. I spot a hollowed log and groan silently before walking over.

"Are you alright?" Navi asks.

'Fine. We've done worse to each other,' I shrug as I get behind the log and start pushing.

("You couldn't have told him about the log, could you?" Adam asks Nura as Link pushes the log.

"What? It was quite entertaining watching you do that," she laughs.

"Could have spared me a sore backside," Alex scowls.

"Maybe if you did it nicely it wouldn't have happened."

"Great Goddesses, guys look!" Adam points below them and the other two look to see the big Moblin watching Link without a sound.

"What's it waiting for?" Alex asks.

"Moblins may be stupid, but they know how to hunt. This particular Moblin is using something called Stealth. It's invisible to its pray," Nura explains.

"But can't he hear it?" Adam asks.

"Zelda told me once that Moblins have their own magic. And Hylians cannot sense it since it is unknown to everybody. They may have good hearing, but there are cons to being a Hylian."

"So he can't sense it?"

"Exactly."

"What about the fairy?"

"Link! Look out!"

"She just noticed.")

I look around, what is Navi yelling about? I can only see the others, but two out of the three look worried at something. I turn to see if something is behind me, but I don't see anything. That is, until a shadow covers me, and I look back over to see the Moblin standing there.

I take out my sword and shield, but the Moblin whacks me over the head with his club, sending me into a thick tree. I rub my head and look at my hand, blood covers it. I look up at a roar and roll out of the way just before the spear in its other hand stabs where my head was.

"Link, roll under its legs to attack from behind!" Navi shouts from my hat.

Nodding, I do as she says and come up behind the Moblin before stabbing its back.

"Link! Behind you!" Adam yells and I look to see more Moblins coming.

"Use your stone!" Nura yells as I narrowly miss being gutted by a spear.

I roll away from them and run behind a tree, griping the stone tight and feeling the wind rush pass me. I press myself to the tree as the Moblins come and look around stupidly. "Where human go?" one asks.

"Don't know. He not gone far. I still smell," another sniffs the ground. I back up until I fall through the tree's roots.

"Maybe he hide in tree."

"Tear from ground then!"

I raise my arm to block out the sudden light as the Moblins shake the tree. "Find human yet?"

"Be patient! You worse than Moblin Cub!" the leader snaps before throwing the tree aside. "Not here. Search for human. Master say we only want one with pointy ears!" and with that, they all leave.

"Are you alright?" Navi comes down. I nod and am about to change back to normal when Navi puts a hand on my arm. "Didn't you hear what they said? They're looking for you Link. You may want to stay like this until we get to the Temple."

"You okay Link?" we look up to see Adam crouching above us.

'Other than having a bounty on my head, yeah, I'm good.'

"We heard some strange news from the Moblins. Apparently, someone is searching for Link so he's going to stay this size until we get to the Temple. You guys go, all the Moblins are gone and I can carry him over," Navi explains.

"Okay. See you later," Adam nods and leaves with the others.

"Okay, let's hope we don't get whacked aside like last time," Navi says as she picks me up from under my arms and flies off. It is still cool flying, seeing all the colours blur together and the ground seems to leave focus as you look ahead.

'This is awesome,' I think absentmindedly, not aware that Navi heard.

She giggles, "Yes, I thought tha same my first flight."

I glance at her and smile slightly, why do I feel so close to her? It's like I know her or something.

I am taken out of my thoughts when she lands by a stump and I change back to normal. I sit on the stump and rest my head in my hand, yawning. It isn't long before the others come and I stand up. "So, where's the Temple?" Adam asks.

"It's up there," Navi flies to a ledge with a tree beside it.

"Great, how do we get up?" Alex scowls.

"I don't know how you can, but I can," Nura says and climbs up the tree before sitting on the branch. "Hurry up slow pokes. We have a Sage to find."

I smirk a little before pulling out my Double Clawshot. I hand one off to Adam and use the other to aim at the branch. Nura jumps off with a slight curse and I come up, saluting her when I land. I throw the Clawshot down at the coal-headed idiot before he can say anything and we wait.

It is quite sad. They both have bad aim with the Clawshot and keep missing the branch. Finally, I walk to the edge and cross my arms. "Yeah, we're coming. But these things are weird," Adam says just before shooting it out. It flies at my head and I simply move my head before grabbing the Clawshot and sticking it in the tree. The red head comes up with a yelp and crashes into Nura, since I move out of the way.

"Get off me!" Nura yells and pushes Adam off. I hear a click and jump out of the way just before Alex pierces my head with my own weapon. It hits the tree and soon the jerk is up. Without a word or, in my case, a nod, we walk through the arch way and come to a courtyard.


	3. Chapter 2

Gery: Here's chapter 2!

Alex: Technically it's chapter 3, idiot.

Nura: And technically, you're a jerk who should shut up and enjoy what little spotlight you have.

Gery: *sighs and rubs forehead as two continue to argue* Adam, could you do this disclaimer?

Adam: GerdenGerudo does not own any Legend of Zelda characters or the series, she does, however, own any OCs and the plot for this story.

Chap 2: The First Sage

The courtyard is small, with two trees and a hole in the wall on the far side that I guess used to be a door. The stones from the wall are crumbled and scattered over the yard and vines cover every centimetre of wall left. 'Wow, if this place was old when Link was here, it has to be ancient now,' I think to Navi.

'Yes, it was very old. Now it's been about a thousand years,' the fairy nods as she sits on my shoulder.

"Okay, so this is the Old Temple. I'm sure no one would mind if we go through it," Adam says and starts walking, but two howls come and a duo of Wolfos jump out.

"Come here, doggy, doggy," Nura taunts one as Alex sneaks around it.

"Want some meat? I'm all you can eat buffet!" Adam yells, distracting the other Wolfos.

I dash forward and slash the Wolfos in the side. It recoils and looks at its bleeding side and growls at me. We circle each other before it jumps forward and catches my leg with its claws. Ignoring the slight pain, I smack my shield into its snout and jump to the side, stabbing its back. It howls one last time before erupting in the usual blue flame.

"What are these?" I look at Nura to see her picking up a berry the shape of a heart.

"They're Healing Berries. Kokiri use them instead of potions," Navi says.

"Think fast, Linky!" Nura tosses one over and I glare at her for the use of the nickname before eating the berry.

'What in Nayru's Love do they put in the potions to make them horrible?' my thought must be showing on my face, because Nura and Adam laugh.

"What is it, Linky?" Adam asks.

'These berries are good!' I hand him some, silently ordering him to eat them.

"I hope you're not trying to kill me," he says and eats them. His face instantly changes from unsure to bliss. "These…are…AWESOME! Nura! Eat these!" he shoves them into her hand.

She eats them and smiles. "Wow, I really hate the maker of potions," she laughs.

"Hey bro, try these!" Adam goes to his brother, who scoffs and turns his head away.

"I'm not eating anything that comes from this place."

'You'll die if you're picky on this quest. I had to eat raw Kargarok egg once because it was rainy and I was out of food,' I shudder at the memory.

"What's wrong, Link?" Nura asks.

Navi tells them what I thought and Adam turns pail, Nura looks sick to her stomach, and Alex looks degusted. "I am so sorry for you. Why where you out of food? Aren't you usually prepared and have you pack filled with it?" Adam wonders.

'Yes, but a certain Imp, who I didn't like at the time, ate it all,' I think to myself before we walk through the hole where the door once was.

The moment we step in, I hear a scuffling and look up to see a Skulltula lying in wait on the roof. I put my arm out to stop the others and take a Clawshot out, aim it at the giant spider, and kill it. It falls to the ground and I hear a yelp and turn to see Adam hiding behind his brother.

"It's just a spider, Addie," Alex rolls his eyes.

"I have arachnophobia, it's not my fault!"

Ignoring the Buttheads, I wave for them to follow and we walk through a still-intact door. We enter a room like a lobby and we blink in awe. It is roughly the size of the courtroom with doors to the north, west, east, north-west and north-east. But the last two compass directions either have a blue block or bars preventing any access. There is a walled in aria in the middle with a tall wooden box without sides in the center, four torches are burning on the corners of the walls: Red, Green, Blue and Violet.

We take a step closer to the box, but there are four cackled laughs before four different coloured Poes show up beside the flame of their colour, but they look more like wrinkled old ladies than floating ghosts, and I can tell the others can see them. "Oh, so we have visitors?" the red Poe swings her lantern.

"It has been a long time since visitors have come to 'play,'" the green one giggles.

"Julie, I feel that same power coming from the green clad one as the Hero of Time had," the blue one tells the purple.

"I sense it too, Vela," Julie says. And without a word, the Poes take the flames and leave before we can blink, making the box shake and go into the ground.

'Seriously? This happened in Arbiter's Grounds!' I think angrily.

"Well that's just perfect," Nura says sarcastically. "Now what?"

I start walking to the only unlocked door and the others quickly run after me. After killing a Bubble and coming into another room, we find three skeletons scattered around. Some bars come down and the skeletons shift, making me sigh in annoyance as I take out my sword.

The three Stalfos come alive, making someone (cough*Alex*cough) scream and I look over my shoulder to see Alex pulling on the bars. Rolling my eyes, I look back at the Stalfos, who are laughing their bone-rattling laugh, and get ready.

"Well, what do you know, it's the kid who killed Master Ganon," the tallest one smirks.

"We heard that you are trying to stop the Twilight Smog from coming," the fat bodied Stalfos says.

"You idiot, he wasn't supposed to know that!" the tall Stalfos punches the fat one in the face.

"Uh, brothers, I believe that the kid and his friends are staring at us," the shortest and skinniest one says, making the tall one look at us as the fat one rubs his rotting jaw.

"What's that kid's problem?" the tall one asks, gesturing behind me. I look to see Alex still trying to get out.

'Just ignore him, he's annoying,' I think as I shrug.

"Eat Bomb Arrow!" Adam yells and shoots the fat one's head off, but the body walks over and gets the head back on.

"That was cheap," the fat one complains.

The tall one smacks the back of his head, "Shut up! We need to kill those three and bring the elf to Master."

'What's an elf?' I wonder before running forward and stabbing at the tall one, but he brings up his sword and parries my blow.

"Hey, useless, get the stupid kids!" he yells at the other two as I jump away and slice at his legs.

I see the other two run from my sight and back flip to my friends. 'Over my dead body!' I think as Adam knocks another arrow to his bow and Nura gets her double headed spear out, Alex is still trying to get out.

The Stalfos Brothers cackle to each other in their language and I can tell by the smirks on their faces that they thought of something. The fat one and the tall one slice at me, making me roll to the side, and when I come up, they are still coming at me while the short one goes to the others.

The two Stalfos keep slashing at me from different sides, so I can't attack one or the other will get me, and I can't get away since they cut me off. I soon find myself with my back to the wall, sporting cuts and scratches from the monsters. I glance at the others and see the short Stalfos is advancing on them slowly, playing with them.

'Navi, can you make the bars go up?' I think as I block a blow with my shield.

'For a few seconds, but what about you?' Navi asks.

'Don't worry about me, just get them out,' I grit my teeth as I try to keep both Stalfos' blades away from me.

I see Navi fly out of my hat and freeze the short Stalfos before a blue aura shines around the bars, lifting them. "Navi, what about Link?" Adam asks as he glances at me.

My knees buckle slightly and I close my eyes, focusing on the fight.

"I'll come back for him. Go!" Navi says and I hear the door slam shut and the bars come down as the tall Stalfos kicks behind my leg. I collapse to the ground and try to get up, but the tall one kicks my stomach and I fall again, clenching my middle.

"Master will be pleased. Get this brat into the basement!" he snaps and everything goes dark.

I wake up groggily, my vision slowly coming to focus. I lift my head and see I'm a few feet off the ground. Confused, I look at my hands to see them chained to a wall with me suspended in the air. I sigh before yanking my arm in an attempt to get free, but this only makes my skin rub raw and bleed. Wincing at a sudden pain in my side, I look down to see my tunic ripped and black/blue bruises covering my skin.

'Din's Hell, what happened and where am I?' I look around. I almost jump out of my skin when I see a pair of red eyes looking at me from my right.

"Hey, you, could you wake the lazy butt beside you?" the red eyed person asks, making me look to my left to see the outline of another person.

I look at my feet to see them chained to the wall too, so kicking the guy is out of the question. I look at the red eyes and shrug.

"Oh, great, you're a mute," the guy mutters. "Alright, just spit on him!"

I raise an eyebrow at him before turning my head and spitting the other guy in the face. "Huh? What? Dude! Why did you just spit on me?" the guy yells, looking at me with gold eyes.

I jerk my head at the red eyed guy and the man beside me glares at him. "You couldn't tell him to yell at me?"

"He's a mute, idiot," the red eyed guy snaps at the shadow like I'm not here. "So, Mute, you're just the guy we need to get out of here."

I blink at him. 'Really?'

"Look above you," Red-Eyes demands.

I look up to see a shaft of light in the center of the room where a hole is. "You're in the right position that if I use my magic I can send you out and you can get us out," Red-Eyes says.

I have to admit, it's a good plan, whatever magic he uses on me, but there is a slight flaw… I am chained by my feet and hands, how will I grab the hole? The golden eyed guy seems to have noticed the same problem. "He has his arms and legs chained to the wall, he's not going to be able to grab it."

"You just had to say it, didn't you Shadow?" Red-Eyes glares.

"Of course Vaati, you always have a flaw in your plans, why do you think they never work?"

Wait…Shadow? Vaati? Why do those names sound familiar?

"My plans were going great until that brat of a boy and his three clones got in the way!"

"Give me a break, you would have failed even if they didn't try," Shadow smirks.

"I'm still going to kill him and his reincarnations," Vaati grumbled.

"You know perfectly well that you'll lose to them all."

"I'm going to kill all of Link's descendants!"

I look at the ground in alarm. Now I know why they sound familiar, one of my past selves defeated them or Vaati at least. I'm in trouble.

"Anyway, ignoring Vaati's pointless rant, we still need a plan to get out of here," Shadow says.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't tried to get that stupid bow," Vaati glares.

"Maybe, if you used your oh-so-great wind magic, I wouldn't have had to do that!"

'Oi vey,' I think I feel a slight headache.

"Alright, how 'bout I show you my magic!" Vaati yells and sends a gust of wind at Shadow, but I get caught in the middle and bang my head.

"Oh yeah? Well, eat Keese!" Shadow yells and some Keese come down and attack the Wind Mage.

An idea comes to me. I stare at Shadow until he looks at me, "What?"

I look at the Keese and jerk my head at the keys just outside the bars. "Shadow, you're an idiot," Vaati says, somehow recovered from the bite marks.

Shadow orders the Keese to get the keys and they fly over. "Alright, now, unlock us-hey, why are you unlocking the mute first?"

I look at the Keese in confusion as they unlock my legs first then my hands. I drop and land on my feet before looking up and to see the outlines of the other two. The second unlocked is Vaati, he uses his wind to slow himself down, but it blows me across the cell and I rub my head after banging it on the wall. Shadow lands on his feet as I get up and the cell door is opened.

"Good, let's get out of here," Vaati says and we walk out cautiously. We walk for a few minutes until we come to a courtyard. I wince when we step in, the sudden light seems bright after the dark cell.

"Finally, now we can get- hey, you look a lot like someone I used to know," Vaati cuts himself off when he looks at me.

I cross my arms calmly, but inside my head I'm panicking a bit, if he tries to fight me, I can't defend myself since my weapons are taken.

"Blond hair, blue eyes, green tunic and…a stupid green hat…" he slowly forms a smile, his red eyes gleaming. "Well, well, looks like we have a Link here. Shadow, you can see in the dark, why didn't you tell me that this guy was the one we helped out? We could have let him rot in the cell!" he yells at Shadow.

"I knew the entire time, but you never asked," Shadow smirks as he leans on a wall.

"Well, you heard what I said before. Time to die, Link," Vaati summons some wind and sends it at me before I can move. I'm sent flying across the courtyard and grit my teeth as I slam into a wall. I pick myself us and brace myself for the next attack.

Soon we are playing a life-or-death version of tag, he sends his magic at me, and I run as far and as fast as I can away from it. And throughout the time, Shadow is laughing and enjoying the show.

"So, you don't know magic, huh?" I dodge a fire filled tornado by jumping behind the remains of a wall. "That makes everything much easier."

'I need fight back and end this, but I can't get close to him for hand-to-hand and I have no weapons,' I think as I keep my back to the broken down wall. I hear Vaati's footsteps coming over and need to think fast. 'He can't fight me if he can't see me,' I grab the stone. The world grows and I hold my breath when he comes around.

"Well you look at that, he's gone," Shadow snickers as he comes over, arms crossed. "I guess he does know magic."

"He's still here, but where could he be?" Vaati glares at where I once was, like he is expecting me to turn up right there. I back up more and hide in a crack in the wall, careful not to be spotted.

I go as far as I can and smirk as they started walking away, but a squeak from behind me makes me tense up and slowly turn around. I gulp when I see a large purple rat sleeping there, mouth open to show its sharp, yellow teeth. I start backing away, but I trip over something. I look at my feet to see the rat's tail coiling up around my foot, preventing me from going.

I flip onto my stomach and try to crawl away, but the tail tightens and starts pulling me back. I look over my shoulder, almost expecting the rat to be awake, but it's sound asleep as I come within three centimetres of its face. It releases my foot and I quietly get to my feet, careful not to wake it, and wince when the small hole shakes, thanks to Vaati for kicking it out of frustration. Dust falls from the roof and I have to plug my nose to not sneeze, but the dust keeps coming and I am having a harder time.

I put my tunic over my mouth and risk a small sneeze, but it is enough for the rat. It opens its beady, black eyes and the first thing it sees is me. I grin nervously at it. 'Nice rat,' I think as I hold up my hands and start walking backwards away from it.

It gets to its feet and puts its head to my level as it follows my steps. It successfully backs me into the wall and I have to put my hand on my hat when the rat sniffs me to not lose it. It comes closer and I just stare, wide eyed, as its yellow teeth are all I can see as it sniffs right above my head.

Suddenly, it pushes my body into the wall with its head and I gasp as I start to lift off my feet, my air being pushed out of me. It takes its head away and I fall to the ground on my butt before looking up and seeing the teeth clamp down on my tunic before lifting its head. I struggle but the rat only leaves the crack and runs through the courtyard, which Vaati is still looking for me in.

Shadow is off to the side, leaning on the wall with an amused expression as Vaati blasts a Deku Baba with powerful gusts of wind. 'Nononono!' I think urgently and pull on the rat's whisker. It lets out a squeak before dropping me and running off.

I see Vaati looking over and hide under a leaf as he walks over. His shadow comes over the leaf and I gulp slightly. "What are you looking at now? It was just a common rat," Shadow says as he came over.

"It had something."

"Probably food. Can we now? Those Stalfos will go to the cells soon and they'll come after us when they find them empty."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get to the Entrance," Vaati says and they walk to some stump.

'Entrance? What's an-' my thoughts are cut off when they jump on the stump and disappear from view just as the Stalfos Brothers come out of the tunnel. I pick the leaf up and start walking to the bridge for safety when the Stalfos surround me. I peek out to see they aren't looking at me, but I can't move or they will find me.

"So, where did those traitors and hero go?" the fat Stalfos asks.

"How should I know? I ain't an idiot keeper!" the short one snaps.

"Shut up, the both of you!" the tall one whacks the back of their heads. The fat one's comes off and lands around me, making the ground shake and I pull the leaf around me more.

The body comes over a little too close and I gulp when the foot comes over and kicks the head, which hits me on the way and sends me rolling with it. My tunic gets caught on one of the bone fragments as it comes to a stop and the head is picked up and put onto the fat one's body. I am dangling just behind the eye so I can see out, but I need to get out so I can hide.

"Alright, so where should we look?" I clamp my hands on my ears as the fat one speaks.

"They couldn't have gotten far, the door's locked and there are fresh footprints in the ground. Three different ones," the tall one says. "Now stop being a fat idiot and help out!" the world shakes as the fat one's head is taking off again and I am sent flying and land right beside the bridge.

I quickly get under and press my back to the stone as the Stalfos Brothers walk around the courtyard, and let out the breath I don't know I was holding when they leave.

I back up and freeze when my back hits something. I turn my head slowly to see my face but with gold eyes and black hair. "AHH!" both me and Shadow yelp in surprise before turning our bodies and falling back. We sit up and stare at each other.

"So that's where you went," Vaati's red eyes gleam in the dark. "I see you have the Kokiri Stone." I look down at the stone around my neck before looking back at the Wind Mage. "But you know, the only way to become large again is to have the stone in your possession," he grins.

I gulp and start backing up quickly before turning around and sprinting from under the bridge. But a gust of wind catches me and sends me back. I smash into the side of the bridge and groan as I slide to the ground. Vaati laughs as he comes over and snatches the stone from me with his wind.

I get up as he starts heading for the stump and sprint after him. I fling myself at him and tackle him to the ground, where we start wrestling for the stone. "There's no way I'm letting my chance to kill you go!" he yells.

'There's no way I'm letting you keep me this size!' I pulled the chain as he pull the other way. We are on our feet now, and using all our strength to play a hard game of tug-o-war.

"Shadow!" Vaati yells.

"Yes?" he replies casually as he sits cross-legged on the ground a few inches away.

"Take this brat down! I can't work my magic if I keep moving!"

"Nah, you're the 'all powerful Wind Mage' you don't need my help," Shadow puts his hands behind his head lazily as he puts his back on a rock.

I use this distraction to grab the stone and I kick Vaati in the shin. "Ouch! Hey, Blue Link did that to me!" Vaati glares as he hops on one foot.

"Did he? That would be a sight to see," Shadow says thoughtfully as I pant.

I put the stone in my Dimensional Bag to keep it away from Vaati, but he tackles me down and we start fighting on the ground again. "Stupid mute, I can't get it now!"

'That's the idea,' I kick him off and jump to my feet.

"Hey Vat, maybe you should shut up," Shadow says calmly as he walks over.

"And why is that?"

"Because there's a Deku Hornet's nest right above us and they are getting irritated." I look up and low-and-behold, a large hornet nest is right over our heads, the hornets are buzzing and are obviously getting annoyed by us.

"If they come, I use magic," Vaati shrugs.

I keep watching the bugs and my ears fall down when I see a rather large one looking at us. I knock their heads and jerk my head up, their faces fall when they see more hornets have noticed us. We look at each other before looking back at the nest, and slowly start back away from it.

But that doesn't work too well. Soon we are running from the angry hornets. "Hey, Reincarnation Link, can't you just use the stone and swat them away?" Shadow asks.

"Idiot, to use the stone you need to not be moving and to be calm," Vaati snaps. "But we don't have to do that. Get to the Entrance!" Vaati uses his magic to make himself faster and Shadow turns into, well, a shadow and they head to the stump, leaving me behind.

I gulp as I glanced over my shoulder, the hornets are closing in on me fast. I look forward and start sprinting as fast as I can go, when a foot almost steps on me. I skid to a stop, but still hit the boot and fall on my back. I look up to see Vaati smirk at me and my ears fall.

He grabs an arrow as I start to run, but his foot comes down and pins my lower body. I try desperately to get out, but he grabs a bit of my tunic and stabs the arrow head through it, making me pinned to the ground with my left hand under me. I start to reach for the stone, but he grabs my arm and breaks it before getting up and walking away.

I grit my teeth as I gasp, my right arm lying useless beside me, as buzzing fills my ears. I look up to see the hornets coming at me and duck my head, waiting for them to sting me. But when I hear yelling, I look behind me to see them swarming around Vaati's head.

Despite the pain I am in, I burst out laughing. Taking this distraction, I start pulling my body away from the arrow, gritting my teeth as my arm burns. 'Stupid Wind Mage, he's so lucky I don't have my sword,' I hear the final rip and get free. I grab the stone before something else can happen and glare at Vaati as I hold my arm.

"Vaati, if you're done playing with your new friends, you may want to look behind you," Shadow smirks as he sits on a rock, enjoying the show as Vaati tries, and fails, to get the hornets away.

"What? Can't you see I'm busy?" Vaati growls and finally gets the hornets away. I come over and kick him in the back, sending him into the wall. He spins around and scowls at me. "At least I can still kill you."

"Vaati, don't you remember why we were in the cell in the first place?" Shadow asks.

The Wind Mage crosses his arms and grumbles under his breath, "I agreed with the Goddesses to help the hero in exchange for my freedom of the Sacred Realm."

'Help me? And yet you break my arm?' I look around. I spot the Healing Barriers and grin as I go over, at least I don't have to take a potion. I grab a hand full and smile slightly as my arm's fixed.

"Alright, but when this is over, Link, I'm going to kill you," Vaati glares at me.

I just shrug before we start walking. 'Now all we have to do is find the others and we can look for the Poes after,' I think as we come into the main lobby.

"Alright, which way?" Shadow asks.

"For starters, let's get that bow. It's the only thing that will kill the Poes," Vaati says as he walks to a now unlocked door.

We walk for about five minutes before coming to a twisted corridor. "Ugh, this room again," Shadow frowns. "I hope that thing isn't back."

"One way to find out," Vaati smirks and sends a gust of wind at me, making me fly down the hall. I land on my back just outside the corridor and glare at him. "I would look down if I were you."

I raise an eyebrow as I stand and look down to see a shadow cover me. I jump to the side just as a decaying, purple hand drops down and I kill it before it can get back up. "Wallmasters, I hate them," Shadow growls as we walk through a door and come to some stairs. I see a painting of the red Poe and sigh in annoyance when it goes into another when I get close.

"Vat, can't you, I dunno, hit them with your magic?" Shadow asks.

"No. Magic doesn't work well with Poes. It's one of the reasons I hate them," the Wind Mage says as I continue down the stairs. I walk through a door and mentally swear when iron bars slam down behind me.

'Of course, these places always hate me,' I look around cautiously. I have no weapons, so I am going to bring a fist to a knife fight. It's dark in the room, but I can make out a gaping hole in the floor, just waiting for me to fall.

I hear bones rattle and groan when the Stalfos Brothers come up. "Well, well, looks like you got out with the traitors. Time to di-wait, you don't have any weapons," the tall one cuts itself off. "Well, that doesn't work for a fight does it? Steel, pass the shrimp a spear!" the tall one tells the short one.

"Got it," the short one says and tosses a spear to me. I blink at them in confusion.

"Surprised? We may be Stalfos kid, but we do have our honour. We never fight if someone doesn't have something to defend themselves," the fat one says as we all get ready to fight.

The fat one, despite his heavy bones, runs quickly and slashes at my side. I jump away and stab at his ribs, but he sidesteps and brings his sword down. I block it with the spear's shaft before stabbing his leg. He grunts and jumps back before Steel comes forward and catches my arm with his sword. Ignoring the pain, I roll to the side and come up to stab Steel in the back, only to get knocked over the head by the tall Stalfos. I roll into the wall and rub my head as I start to get up, but the same Stalfos pushes his foot into my throat, making my head bang on the wall, and brings his sword to my forehead.

The Stalfos sighs, "I am sorry, but this I must do."

I blink at him before seeing a small, dark orb in his bony hand. "Stone, you're not thinking…" the fat one trails off.

"I am, Shard, sorry kid, but you need to see this," he says and cracks the orb onto my head, making everything go black.

I am floating above an army, all standing in defence of a village. They have heavy armour and weapons as they wait. "Brother," a short (but still tall to me) solder comes up to a tall commander. "What will happen if we don't defend the village?"

"Then may we live a cursed life until our Honour is restored," he replies calmly. "We will do our best, Steel."

"Commander, all the women and children are safe," a big boned and slightly fat man comes to the tall man. The three all have brown hair and red eyes.

I land on the ground with a soft thud, curious about what is happening. Suddenly, the image shifts and I am standing in the middle of a blood bathed battle. Screams are heard all over, swords clash, gasps of death surround me. I look beside me to see a big thing with a club take out five men at once. 'What is that?' I think and jump when the club slams down beside me.

"Orcs, who knew they were real," the fat solder says quietly to his brothers as they fight off two of the Orcs.

"Brothers, what's that?" Steel points to a thing that is a mix between a bird and a woman, it's ugly as Din's Hell. The bird/woman hybrid screeches, making all of us cover our ears, and comes down at the short brother. The hybrid's sharp talons scrap through the thick armour like butter and blood flows out of Steel's mouth as he falls to his knees, then stomach.

"Shard, get him to the village!" the tall man orders the fat one as he walks through me. I shiver and turn to see Shard carrying the dead brother to the far off Village. The man turns and slices the hybrid's head clean off, the body falls to the ground at my feet. I look up at the man to see him stony faced as he stabs an Orc in the heart and cuts the arms off a bull-human.

"Stone!" Shard runs over with Steel still in his hold. "T-the village…was destroyed from the…back. N-no one lived…" he pants.

Stone looks around at the battle field with sorrow, "War is an ugly thing, so much blood shed…so many lives lost…it is horrific. We shall all die this day, but I swear that every woman, man and child will rise from the dead to reclaim our honour, pride and lives." Stone holds a dark orb above his head and slams it into the ground just as an Orc kills both brothers.

I soon stand in a quiet field, bodies lying everywhere as the last solder dies only a few feet away from me. I walk to the Village and see it burnt down. A skeleton of a kid makes me stop short. It has something by its hand and I bend down to pick it up, but my transparent fingers won't grab it. I bend forward and see a small, burnt ball.

I jump when the hand of the skeleton twitches. The sound of rattling bones and lanterns fill the air and I look around to see Stalfos, Stalchildren and Poes come from everywhere. I stare as the once dead bodies stand up and look at each other in confusion.

"Everyone," all heads turn to three Stalfos, it's the tall one that spoke. "The Goddess has granted our desire, she will let us live to reclaim our pride and honour. We will walk the earth until we are free of this curse, then we will rest in peace at last."

I come back to reality with a gasp. I am shaking as I look at Stone, his glowing red eyes looking sad. "You wonder what you just saw, do you not?" I nod. "That is the origin of the top races of Undead: Stalfos, Poes and Stalchildren. My brothers and I were born in a small village and we were ambushed by a caravan that was passing through. What you just saw was our deaths and the secret of Stalfos. I risked a lot showing you this, but I believe you are the one that can help us."

I blink as a Stalchild comes out, it has a burnt ball in its hand. I gasp and look at Stone. "Yes, this young one was my daughter, her mother died in childbirth and I had hid her away before the ambush, but she got out when her ball rolled away. She is the first Stalchild and my brothers and I are the first Stalfos. Young one, we ask-no, we beg, please help us pass on. For some of our kin, it is too late, but my brothers and daughter are not taken by the darkness. Will you help us free ourselves?"

I look at my hands, they tried to kill my friends, they captured me and they fought me into a wall. But, can I really let them suffer? All they want is to pass over. I look Stone in the eye and nod, he beams. "I thank you dearly. What may we help with to regain our honour?"

I think about it, we will need help if we get into a battle, but can I really ask them to fight? Fighting got them in this spot in the first place. "Kid, battling will be the only thing to release us," Steel says.

"Steel here's a Mage. He can use telepathy," Shard says.

'Good, 'cause I wanna ask something.'

"Go ahead," Steel nods.

'Where are my friends?'

"Ah, those three, they are safe, we sent them out of the temple and they are currently in the care of the Kokiri."

I sigh in relief as I stand up, 'Thanks. So, what you said before, about the Twilight Smog, what is it?'

"I was wondering when you'd ask that. The Twilight Smog is, as you can guess, smog that is even more dangerous than the Twilight. While the Twilight only turns people to spirits and they feel the evil, the Smog hurts them like-"

'-Like they can't breathe,' I think with him. 'Like the Smog in the Twilight Realm, that stuff that turned me into a wolf agenised my will.'

"I see you've experienced it. Yes, but unlike you, others will turn into mindless beasts like the Twilight Messengers."

"I feel so left out," Shard says.

"Shut up," Stone growls before turning to me. "We will stay here until you call for us. Good luck, kid," and with that, they go into the ground, the bars rising up.

I open the door to see Shadow charging at it. I step aside and he falls through and onto his face. "Of course, now the door decides to open," he mutters as he picks himself up and Vaati walks through.

"What happened to you, Mute Link?" Vaati asks. I glare at him before walking away.

"I thought you complained about how much Red Link used to talk, but now you're getting mad when a Link doesn't talk? Make up your mind."

"Don't tell me what to do, Shadow. I could kill you easily."

Ignoring the two idiots, I look around and spot something on the ground. I pick it up and grin, it's a bow and quiver. Not mine, but I can still use it. I put them in my bag and an idea comes to me. 'If I can't get near the Poes without them disappearing, then I'll hit them from far off,' I smirk as I open the door to the Red Poe and walk through.

I shoot the paintings and the Poe goes to the bottom of the stairs, where I can fight it. It spins around, going invisible, and swings its lantern at me. I jump back and wait for it to become visible before shooting it in the face. It goes invisible again and I dodge a blow to the head.

Three more shots later, the Poe screeches and is consumes in its own flame. The torch beside the door burns and a chest shows up. Kicking it open, I find a key and meet up with the other two, who are arguing. I knock them over the heads as I pass and whistle innocently as I open the door.

I hear them both grumbling as they catch up to me, just in time to see me shoot the blue Poe, killing it, and making the torch burn. "So that's what happened to it. Oh well, I have my own bow," Shadow pulls a black bow out and Vaati glares at him, clearly ticked off.

"You had a bow the entire time? You could have spared us getting dragged into the cell."

"You never asked," Shadow shrugs. I roll my eyes as we walk up the stairs and come to another corridor, but this time it is straight.

-Time laps-

We come to a room with only one picture of the green Poe. The only way out is bared down and I glance above us to see five cubes hovering in the air. 'I bet if we hit the picture, the cubes will fall and we will probably have to make them fit together,' I think as I make sure I am clear of the cubes before shooting the Poe.

The picture burns up and not a second later the cubes fall and we start pushing them together as a timer goes off. The other two keep arguing about where to put them, and this makes us run out of time. The blocks lift up, spin in a different direction, and come back down, messing up our work.

"Great going, Shadow, now we have to do it again," Vaati snaps.

"Shut up and push," Shadow grunts as he pushes a block one way, while I pull another.

"You can't tell me what to do," Vaati grumbles as I feel the block I am pulling start to get pushed. I stain my neck to see over it, and wince when I see the head of a Darknut, it's pushing it. I let go and jump back, but I bump into something and I look to see another block. I jump to the side and stumble over my feet, glaring at Vaati.

"What? It's not like I saw you," the Wind Mage smirks. I still glare at him as I get to my feet and push the last block into place. The blocks melt into the ground and the Poe shows up, but gets killed by two arrows and a sword.

The bars open and we start walking, but I am lifted off my feet by my tunic. I gasp with surprise and look to see the Darknut. 'Vaati,' I think, grumbling.

"Hey, Vat, you might want to get rid of the Darknut," Shadow says nonchalantly.

Vaati just shrugs and snaps his fingers, the Darknut vanishes and I fall on my face. I glare at the Wind Mage as he smirks at me, "Watch where you're falling." I am really tempted to punch him, but I restrain myself as I walk through the door to find the main lobby.

The last Poe is in the middle, just sitting there and waiting. "What's it doing?" Shadow asks.

"Waiting for us," Vaati replies.

We jump down and the Poe turns. I am expecting it to make three copies of itself. That's why it scares me to the Sacred Realm and back when it grows to about the size of Dibaba and laughs so loud we all have to cover our ears. It swings the lantern and smashes the side of the wall, making it fall all around us and tarp us under the pile, but there's a round air pocket we're standing in.

"F***," we all say and/or think.

"Link!" my ears twitch when I hear my name being called. Suddenly Navi comes through a small hole and flies at my face. "There you are. I was separated from the others after we were taken."

'Hey Nav', finally, now I won't go insane,' I think to her as the other two start arguing again.

'Vaati and Shadow? I've heard of them. They're helping you?'

'Yeah, I dunno the details,' I shrug. The two are getting louder and I sigh. Then the ground shakes, and I can only guess that the Poe is starting to hit the ruble around us. 'If it caves in, we're going to be killed.'

'Why don't you use your stone, I can fly you out, then you could try and kill it,' the fairy suggests.

'Tell that to the idiot duo too,' I think and she laughs quietly before ringing like a bell, getting the attention of the other two.

"Since when did you get here?" Vaati asks.

"Since just five seconds ago," Navi replies before telling them the plan.

"Why didn't I think of that?" the Wind Mage asks.

"Because you aren't that smart, Vat," Shadow says and the two start fighting again, making Navi and I roll our eyes.

I grab the stone and blink as everything grows, I'm still not used to the feeling yet. But before anything can happen, the Poe, regular size, comes in and laughs, "You two are useless. Now tell me where the hero is and I'll let you free."

I hide behind a piece of ruble with Navi, who dims her light to almost nothing, and pray that they won't give me away. "You'll let us out, but only if we get the hero?" I cringe at Vaati's voice.

"Yes," the Poe laughs.

I feel the ground drop under my feet and gasp as I'm brought into the air, despite my best efforts to get free. The Poe's clammy hands wrap around me and she tosses me into her lantern, where I try not to get burned by the purple fire. "You living creatures are brainless. You really expected me to let you free that easily?"

'Navi, can you hear me?' I think, getting a bit too hot in the lantern.

'Yes, are you alright?'

'Forget that! The three Stalfos from earlier, I was able to get them on our side. Can you call them?' I wipe the sweat off my brow as my vision clouds around the edges and becomes fuzzy.

'Sorry, I won't be able to. I can't talk to the Undead,' she thinks sadly.

'W-what's hap-it's hot in here-pening out there?'

'She just revived her sisters and they're giving the two a hard time. One trapped my wing under a rock and I can't move. You've got to use your stone to get out!'

My vision starts to go black as I reach for the stone, but my arm won't move. 'I-I ca-can't mo-move my arm…' I think before everything goes black.

"C'mon buttheads, we need to move the ruble," Nura says as she and the brothers pull out the rocks.

"I got a big enough hole, we can get in," Adam calls and they run in to find the four Poes giving some trouble to a purple guy and someone who looks like the dark side of Link. The three join the fighting and soon only the purple Poe is alive, holding the lantern it has like a life-line.

"I hate living creatures, they always get in the way," she pants. "But you can't win. We will prevail, we will make eternal Darkness shroud across the land!"

Suddenly, Navi hears Link's thoughts. 'N-Navi…w-what's goin' on?'

'That's not important right now. Link, do you know Farore's Wind?'

'I've…been sorta practicing it…I can only go so far though.'

'Use that to get out,' Navi tells her.

'Okay.' There's a flash of green light inside the lantern before Link shows up on the floor, still small and holding her head.

"Hey, Poe!" Nura calls so the monster doesn't noticed the dazed Link being taken away by Navi. "Why don't cha fight somebody your own size?" she asks and smacks the Poe with a rock.

"You fool!" the Poe screeches. "I have what I came for, you are no longer a threat!" she disappears, not knowing her plan has failed.

'Are you okay, Link?' Navi asks as she feels Link's forehead.

'I've been better,' Link shrugs with a grateful smile. 'Thanks.'

"I wouldn't turn back yet if I were you," Adam says as Nura drags Vaati and Shadow over.

Link nods before starting to stand up, but the world spins and she falls onto her back with a groan. "We should rest," Nura says. "Fighting those Poes weren't as easy as I expected."

-Later. Link's POV-

"We saved your sorry butts! The least you can do is be grateful!" Nura yells at Vaati as the rest of us watch. We are now resting before going to fight the last Poe, a fire crackles and our shadows bounce off the walls as the Gerudo and Wind Mage continue to fight.

"I'm not thanking someone when I could have saved myself!" Vaati looks away with his arms crossed.

"This's almost as bad as you and Alex, Link," Adam says as I sit cross-legged on his shoulder.

I nod in agreement as the two go on bantering.

"I'm just surprised she hasn't slapped him yet," Navi says, sitting on a rock.

_Slap!_

"Spoke too soon," she sighs.

"Ow! You b***h! How dare you slap me! I'm the great Wind Mage Vaati, and you slap me?"

"Yep," Nura says, popping the 'p'.

I roll my eyes and rest my head in my palm. 'Hey, Navi, did I know you in one of my past lives?' I ask.

Navi blinks, 'Yes. I was the guardian fairy of the Hero of Time.'

I smile. 'That's why you seem familiar. I've had a funny feeling that I knew you.'

Navi just nods.

"Well, this is dandy and all, but we should probably get going," Adam says.

"Yeah, the sooner we kill this Poe, the sooner we can get outta here," Nura stretches as everyone gets up.

"Alright, so where do we go?" Adam asks.

"We can't find the Poe by looking for her. By now she probably noticed she doesn't have him," Shadow jerks his head at me.

"She'll be expecting us to try and find her, but, what if we don't go to her. What if we make her come to us?" Alex smirks.

"How?" Nura raises an eyebrow.

"Bait," my ears drop when he looks at me.

"I like the way you think, kid," Vaati laughs darkly.

'I don't like where this is going…' I think, nervously looking at Navi.

'What did I do to deserve this?' I mentally grumble as I hang from a string attached to a stick. The string is secured around me, pinning my arms to my side.

"You sure about this?" Adam asks.

"Of course I am! The stupid Poe will come and try to take Mute-Boy and we just swing him out of the way," Alex shrugs.

I curse him mentally as Shadow keeps his hold on the other end of the stick. I still don't see why _I'm_ the bait.

The croaky laugh of the Poe fills the room and she appears a few meters from me. "Well, you managed to slip out of my grasp, but not for long," she reaches out to me but the world spins and blurs as Shadow moves me out of the way. They come out of hiding as Navi unties the rope-er-string and I grab the stone, drawing my bow.

"You fowl living beings, you tricked me!" she yells, a blackish mist hovering around her.

'She's going to grow again!' I think frantically. Before she can, though, a Deku Nut flashes from behind us and Sage runs in front of us, Shelly looking even redder beside her head.

The Poe's eyes widen, and she smirks as she stares at the green haired Kokiri. "You are coming with me," she says and chargers. I jump in front of Sage, but shiver when the Poe goes through me and picks Sage up by her tunic. I turn and glare as Nura and Adam get ready to fight, the other three don't seem to care.

The Poe remains visible as I run at her, ready to stab her with an arrow. But she pulls a cheap shot and brings Sage up to like a human/Kokiri shield. I pivot on my feet in the last moment and stumble over my feet, growling at the Poe.

Wait, did I just…literally growl?

I hear someone scream behind me as I feel a familiar sensation of bones rearranging. After my vision clears, I hesitantly look down to see paws, a shackle still attached to my left. I'm a wolf again. Alright, time to take down this Poe.

I crouch, slowly stepping towards the Poe with my ears back on my head, teeth bared and growling. I jump forward and slash the Poe across the face, making it let go of Sage. The cute Kokiri girl falls limply to the ground as I attack the Poe, making it fall back and erupt into violet flames. I shake my head as the sensation of changing back into human fills me and I fall on my rear, not used to that for two months.

"Holy Goddess," I turn my head dazedly to see Nura walking over. "I never knew you could do that."

'Nether did I,' I think as I get to my feet. We hear a moan and I crouch beside Sage, she's pale, but otherwise alright.

A rumbling fills the room as all the torches are lit, the box from earlier rises and I pick up Sage bridle style.

"So, we go down there?" Adam asks.

"We'll have to fight the monster in this temple to free the Sage," Vaati says, arms crossed.

After a few turns of going down, we all come to a round room with different coloured flooring and holes in the walls. 'Well, it didn't change since Link's been here,' Navi thinks to me as she sits on my shoulder.

'Less work for me,' I think back.

"Lazy," Navi mutters and I smile as I feel Sage come to.

I look down at her and she waves slightly. I really do love kids.

We walk down the hall and come to a large, locked door. Great, I never found the key to this place.

"Now what?" Vaati scowls. "We don't have a key."

"I do," Nura takes the large key out of her belt. "I was wondering what it was for."

Like in the other temples, the key floats out of Nura's hand and fits into the lock, turning and opening it.

'Are you ready?' Navi asks as we all walk in.

'Never,' I shake my head as we go up a small flight of stairs.

To keep her safe, I put Sage down by the wall before the roped in ring. "I'll be fine," she smiles and I nod as I straighten. I walk into the ring and the others follow, but a loud _shink_ echoes through the room and I turn to see poles blocking the others out.

"Link," Adam says, eyes going wide, "T-turn around."

I turn and let out a small gasp. It can't be. It's not possible!

"Surprised to see me?" his nasally voice hasn't changed a bit. I pull out my bow and arrow, eyes narrowing as the Tyrant Twili looks down at me through his frog helmet.

'Zant,' I internally growl. This man was the reason that Hyrule was taken over by Ganon. He was the one who hurt and almost killed Midna! How is he still alive?

"Young Hero, you don't seem too thrilled to see me," Zant says.

'You have no idea,' I ready an arrow.

"You think you can kill me with that? Think again, Hero. But, I'm not here to fight you, I'll let my monster do that," he disappears in Twilight Particles and rumbling fills the room.

I hear a girly scream (I'm guessing Alex) as a large, moldy and rotting Moblin lands on the ground, making me almost fall over. Almost.

**Redead Moblin: Morbid**

The voice rings through my head as the fat, rotting beast slowly comes at me, one foot dragging behind it.

I hear the ground move and see, to my horror, Redead-like Bokoblins rising out of the ground, poison drool falling from their mouths. I shoot the Bokoblins, and manage to hit Morbid a few times, but for every one I kill, three take its place.

"Link! Morbid's weak spot is his back, it's so ripped that you can see his heart, if you can get it, he'll fall," Navi shouts from above Morbid's head.

I nod and jump over the Redead Bokoblins' heads, not wanting to be bitten. I jump onto Morbid's head and hang on with my right hand as I grab an arrow with my left, stabbing it into Morbid's back.

Not impressed, Morbid shakes me off and I grunt as I land on the ground. "Link, look out!" Navi cries and I look up to see a Redead Bokoblin standing over me. It lunges and sinks its rotten teeth into my shoulder, an agonizing pain rushes through my body as I stab the Bokoblin in the eye.

I pant as I get to my feet, my vision blurry. What's happening? Why am I feeling like I'm…burning?

A distant roar brings me out of my thoughts and I look up to see Morbid coming at me, heavy spear pointing at me.

I shake my head and grab another arrow, trying my hardest to focus on the monster.

I dash forwards, jump over Morbid's head, and grab his shredded skin. I gag at the smell, but ignore it as I stab the arrow through his heart. Once again he flings me off, but I manage to land on my feet this time, kicking a Redead Bokoblin away from me and into one of its comrades.

My vision blurs and I sway on my feet, but a scream wakens me from the daze. I spin around to see Nura and Adam trying to keep Sage safe from some Redead Bokoblins as Vaati and Shadow kill the monsters. Alex is trying to stay as far away from them as he can.

'I need to end this.' With this in mind, I take out my bow and notch an arrow on, running behind Morbid despite the fuzzy and spinning room. I fire my arrow and it pierces his heart, making him let out a strangled cry as he falls to the ground heavily.

Like every other monster, he blows up and the Redead Bokoblins return to the ground.

I fall to my knees, my skin burning and the bite mark spilling blood. My vision is still swarming as I faintly see Navi flutter in front of my face. "Link, can you get up?"

I just blink blankly, it's like I'm hearing her through water.

"Hey, Link," I feel a hand on my not bitten shoulder and dazedly look up to see the blurry image of Nura. "C'mon, we need to get out of here."

"We can't leave through the door, it's locked," Alex's voice says.

"That's not our way out," Vaati says.

"Okay, Link, we'll get your wound healed up," Nura grabs my arm and helps me up, putting my good arm around her shoulders.

I weakly walk with her, not really knowing where we're going. When a flash of bright, blue light fills my eyes, I blink and see everything clearly. "Welcome back," Nura smirks and I roll my eyes as I stand up straight.

"Where in Din's Hell are we?" Vaati scowls.

'Sacred Realm,' I think as the green circle glows.

When I see Sage in front of me, I think of the irony, but only now I realize that she wasn't with us when we walked into the light thing, probably because I was half alive.

"What do you know? I'm the Sage of Forest!" Sage laughs, clapping her hands. "While you're here, nothing can hurt you, not even the poison in your blood."

My eyes widen slightly, I have _what_ in my blood?

"Don't worry, the Deku Tree has fruit that can cure any injury, even poison. But before you go, here! You need to take my power!" there's a small flash of green light and I see a small medallion in front of my face. When I take it, everything flashes white. "Good luck! Find the other Sages! That sounds weird…"

Gery: Hey guys! This chapter is even longer then the last one! And slowly everything starts to unfold. I didn't even think about adding Vaati and Shadow in before, I just kind of started typing it down in the dungeon scene. Originally it was going to be two random OCs, but I just typed and bam! The Wind Mage and the Fifth Link were there! Now, sorry if they're a little or more OOC, I haven't played the games with them in it, I've only read the manga and things are different than in the game, so, sorry again. I'm really surprised how many people are reading this! Do you really like this that much? And if you have any suggestions, feel free to review! See ya!


	4. Chapter 3

To Seriena4: Thanks, and I was thinking the same when I wrote this. So many people forget the fact that you _can_ make Link a mute. And it's fun having it his/her POV and seeing what s/he is thinking.

Gery: Hey guys! I don't really have anything to say other that this chapter is a bit higher T for what's implied. Don't worry! Nothing terrible happens, it's only implied. Enjoy anyway! I like ham.

Nura, Adam and Alex: Huh?

Gery: Ham is good. I like it. Anyway! Could one of you do the disclaimer?

Nura: Gery doesn't own Legend of Zelda, but she does own the OCs and plot for this. And apparently she likes ham?

Gery: I really do:D

Chapter 3: Death Mountain

The burning returns as we appear in front of the Deku Tree. I can barely keep my eyes open as I see blurs running off somewhere.

Navi's blue aura shines in my eyes, but I don't really see her, only a blue blob. "It'll be alright, Link. Nura's climbing the tree to get the fruit," Navi tells me.

It's really hot. That's weird, last time I was here, it was cool. There can't be a fire, no one's freaking out or barking orders to get water. Huh, my bite mark is only throbbing now, did I eat the fruit without knowing? Maybe I should rest, if I already ate the fruit, then I'll be fine.

I don't hear Navi's frantic words as I am consumed by darkness.

Opening my eyes, I see a clear, blue sky. What? Aren't I in the Lost Woods?

I sit up, wincing at the dull throbbing pain in my shoulder, and as far as I can see there's a field of tall grass, flowers of all sorts and a river cutting through it. Where am I?

I stand up, looking around in awe, when I hear footsteps. I spin on my heel to see a girl, maybe about twelve, standing there, a smile on her face. She has shoulder blade long, wavy, forest green hair, a green dress and forest green eyes. "Hi there, you looked surprised to see me, Link," the girl giggles.

How does she know my name?

She laughs again, "Can you not guess who I am? I'll give you three tries!"

As she says this, I feel my left hand become warm. Curious, I lift my hand to see my Triforce glowing. My jaw drops as I look at the girl, she's Farore!

"Heh-heh-heh! You got it!" who knew the Goddess that blessed me was a kid? "It's true, I am Farore! C'mon, you need to come with me, your friends are getting worried," she grabs my hand and drags me behind her. "The poison made you faint before you could take the fruit, but your Gerudo friend practically stuffed it down your throat, so you can go back now."

'Where am I exactly?' I ask.

"This is the place your inner-consciousness comes to when your badly hurt, but can still live. It reduces the pain and time doesn't pass, so it gives me time to heal you."

We come to the river and Farore stops. "Okay, time to go back now!" she says and pushes me in the water.

'Ow…' I open my eyes slowly to see Navi fluttering in my face. 'Hey, Nav', what'd I miss?'

"Good to see you're awake, Nura had to stuff the fruit down your throat after you went unconscious," she tells me.

'That's why my throat hurts,' I muse as I sit up, relived to see the bite mark left only as a scar. 'Where are the others?'

"They're asleep," she says as she sits on my shoulder.

'Isn't it ironic that Sage is the Sage of Forest?' I ask, laughing quietly.

"Yes and no, her name might be Sage, but she's also the descendant of Saria, who was the last Sage."

'She said that to me when I first met her, I wasn't sure what it meant, but I know now,' I say.

"So, do you know where you're going next?" Navi asks.

'Yes, if I'm going to be fighting, I might as well use the Master Sword. I'm going to the Sacred Grove after the others wake up.'

Navi nods as I lay back down with my arms behind my head. After some silence, Navi speaks, "Link, do you mind if I come with you? I want to see Hyrule again, no doubt it's a lot different."

'No, I don't mind, it's nice having someone to talk to without it being a guessing game,' I smile.

-The next morning-

Now with everyone awake, Nura and Adam won't stop asking me how I turn into a wolf and who that 'frog headed guy' was.

With Navi's help, I tell them that Zant was the cause of the Twilight a few months ago and that he cursed me to turn into a wolf. I don't say anything about Midna, even though I miss her, I don't think they would understand.

"Wow, you really did go through a lot," Adam whistles.

"Whatever, I don't care what he did, can we just get out of these woods now?" Alex scowls as we walk through the Upper Lost Woods.

'Not yet, I need to go somewhere,' I think and head in the direction of the Grove.

"Where are you going?" Vaati snaps.

'Stay, I'll be right back,' Navi translates before following me as I run.

After getting lost a few times, I make it to the Grove and walk into the ruins. The statues still look intimidating as I walk up the stairs. I go to the sword, nothing's changed. It's still silver with the indigo hilt and has the sense like it's calling me. I take out the sword, smiling from the familiar weight as the scabbard appears on my back.

When Navi and me return to the others, we find them fighting…again.

"Will you just shut up? You're so full of yourself!" Nura is yelling at Vaati.

"You manage to ignore him after a while," Shadow states. "Looks like Mr. Hero's back," he smirks. I roll my eyes as the others stare at my back.

"Where did you get that?" Adam asks.

I just shrug as we head off and through the woods.

Sometime later, we come to the clearing with the oil selling bird. Like before, I don't look at him as we walk through and come to the gate.

"Oh great, this stuff again," Alex growls and I take out my lantern.

"That will take too long," Vaati shoves me aside. "Let the master show you how it's done."

"Now all we need to do is to find the master," Shadow remarks as Vaati summons a tornado. He sends it through the trees and clears it of the fog.

'Well that works,' I think.

After making it to Hyrule Field, Alex speaks, "So, Mute, where are we going?"

I roll my eyes and think. Zelda should know about Zant, in case he tries to take the castle again.

"Well, first of all, why don't we tell this Princess about the insane Twili?" Shadow asks. I blink in surprise at us thinking the same thing.

Just then, a far off roar bellows over the field. I look to see three black forms running towards us. Twilight Messengers!

I jump off Epona and run at them, Master Sword drawn. The others, besides Alex, who is hiding behind a tree, come in just as the familiar red barrier surrounds us. 'We need to kill them at the same time, if we leave one alive, it will revive the others,' I 'say' to Navi.

She translates for the other four as the Messengers make the first move.

The closest one slashes at Shadow, who turns into his namesake and sneaks up behind it. As he's doing this, Vaati is distracting it with a fire ball he summoned.

The second Messenger is shot through the eye by Adam, while Nura lies in wait above it in a tree.

And I deal with the last, getting ready to stab it through the heart. 'Navi, when I give the single, can you shout 'now'?'

She nods and I position my feet. I nod and she calls out to the others.

Shadow jumps from the ground and stabs the first Messenger through the neck. Nura falls and sends her spear into the head of the second, and I quickly jump forward and take out the last through the heart.

Just like every other time, they blow up into Twilight Particles and a portal forms above us.

"That wasn't so hard," we all glare at Alex as he comes out from behind the tree.

'Try doing it on your own,' we mount our horses, Shadow travels as a shadow and Vaati uses his wind, and gallop to the castle.

By the time we make it to Castle Town, it's well passed noon. I get off my mare and pull out a cloak from my bag, throwing it to the Wind Mage. "What in Din's Hell are you doing?" he glares.

"Well, obviously it's not very common to have someone with purple skin waltzing through Castle Town," Nura says with a roll of her eyes.

Vaati growls something to himself as he pulls the cloak over his back, lifting the hood to hide his face.

We quickly make our way through the Town and halls and soon we make it to the throne room. 'Stay, I'll tell her about what's happened,' I walk in without the others and find Zelda talking to someone.

Not wanting to be detected, I go into the shadows and use the Kokiri Stone.

"You're Highness, surly you can trust me. I am not but a Duke's son, coming here for negotiation between Hyrule and Termina," the man, a very tall, white haired man with onyx black eyes, says, bowing respectfully.

"I wish to make this treaty, Sir Edward, but I have heard of a threat to befall Hyrule, I must make certain that my people are safe before considering this agreement," Zelda always sounds so formal around other rich people.

"Of course, but do you mind if I stay in the castle for tonight? I will make my way back to Termina tomorrow and tell the Duke, informing him of this dilemma," Edward requests.

"Yes, I will send a squire to take you to your chambers, good day, Sir Edward."

He leaves as Zelda puts her head on her hand, eyes closed. I use the Stone and walk to her side, tapping her shoulder and smirking when she jumps. 'Hey.'

"I see you're back," she smiles.

'No need to sound disappointed,' I tease as I sit on the throne's arm.

"But why are you here? Something tells me you're not here for some idle chat," Zelda says.

'That's 'cause I'm not. Zelda, Zant's alive,' her eyes grow wide. 'When we were in the Forest Temple, he was in the last room, I don't know how he lived, but it can't be good that he did.'

"But, didn't you say Midna killed him?" she asks, sitting up straighter.

'Yeah, but he lived after blowing up into dust. And there's more, something called the Twilight Smog is coming, it's like the stuff at the Twilight Palace that turned me into a wolf when I went into it.'

"How did you hear this?"

'By some Stalfos I got on our side in the Temple, them, and along with two other people, will help us.'

"Who are the other people?"

'I'll show ya,' I get up and run to the doors. 'You guys can come in now.'

"Hey there, Princess," Shadow smirks as Vaati basically rips my cloak off him.

"You'd better not be an annoying brat," the Wind Mage mutters.

"Vaati the Wind Mage, I've heard about you through some of the books in my library," Zelda stands.

I see Vaati's red eyes brighten slightly at the mention of the library. "Really?" he smirks arrogantly, eyes dulling back to normal.

"Yes, and you can go there whenever you like while you stay in Hyrule," dang Zelly, you know how to get on someone's good side.

'Oh, Zelda, who was that guy you were talking to?' I ask.

"You were there for that?" she asks as she comes over, the others continue to talk. "He's the Duke of Termina's son, apparently they want to sign a peace treaty. But I denied him because of the problems we'll face during this time."

'Okay. Do you know where we're supposed to go next?'

"Do you remember what the Hero of Time told you in your dream?" she whispers.

'Um…he said, 'they are in the Lost Woods, in Death Mountain, at Zora's Domain, in Gerudo Valley and the last is one of the Sheikah' if I remember right,' I tell her.

"Then it would make sense to find the Sages in that order."

'So, next stop is Death Mountain?' I guess.

"Exactly, you should head out tomorrow, it seems your traveling companions can't keep going like you," I turn my head to where Zelda's looking to see Adam yawning and leaning on Nura, who's too tired to care, and Alex actually looks pleasant without his constant scowl, Navi's asleep in my hat already. Vaati has left, probably the library, and Shadow is sneaking out, most likely going to traumatise some poor, unsuspecting noble.

'I forget that not everybody's been all over Hyrule,' I chuckle.

"If you want, you guys can head back to your rooms, you all look half-asleep," Zelda suggests.

"YesI'llseeyatomarra," Adam mumbles something and Zelda and I glance at each other, uncertain how to respond before I burst out laughing.

Zelda rolls her eyes and motions for the three to follow. I stay behind and look up at the Triforce above the throne, still finding it hard to believe I actually _met_ Farore. Never thought I would be able to say that.

Smiling slightly, I make my way back to my room, looking around absentmindedly as I muse about the last two days. I'm still wondering how I turned into a wolf in the Temple, guess I'll think about it later.

Suddenly I find myself on the ground, shaking my head. I look up to see the Edward dude looking down at me, do I see…deep hatred in his eyes?

"Sorry about that, wasn't looking where I was going," he says as I get up. Dang he's tall.

"I know who you are," he states. "You're that Sir Link guy who saved Hyrule, aren't you?"

I nod slowly, unsure what to make of this. He smirks, his black eyes feel like they're look through me. I roll my shoulders, feeling reeeally uncomfortable. 'Uh, I gotta go,' I quickly leave, trying to ignore the bubbling fear in my stomach. I feel like I know him, kind of like the feeling around Navi, just darker.

"You okay, Link?" speaking of Navi, the fairy flies out of my hat and lands on my shoulder.

'The Edward person, I feel something…bad about him,' I look over my shoulder to find him gone.

"Don't worry, he's gone by tomorrow, remember?"

'You eavesdropper,' I snicker.

"Like I have to believe you don't eavesdrop," Navi says.

'I was spying,' I reply as I entre my room.

"Big difference," she says sarcastically.

I laugh as I head to bed. Navi flies to my pillow and I smirk. 'Geronimo!' I mind yell as I jump onto the bed, causing Navi to fall off. I laugh as she flicks my nose.

"Think that's funny, eh?" she crosses her arms. I nod, chuckling. "Alright," she flies behind me and the next thing I know, she hits the base of my neck and the feeling of changing covers me. I now find myself on my back, as a wolf.

I flip onto my stomach and pant, looking at her in surprise. "Teh-heh-heh! You're still wondering how you turned into a wolf in the Temple, right?" I nod. "When you ran at the Poe and stopped short, I bumped into your neck, right above your shoulder blades, and I guess a pressure-point there triggered your transformation."

'Weird,' I think, trying to see the back of my neck. 'I think I'll run in the field for a bit, it's been too long,' I get off the bed and shake out my fur as I trot over to the door. I manage to open the door and sniff the air to make sure no one's coming. Satisfied, I gallop through the corridors and quickly make it outside undetected.

I sneak through the streets, not wanting to cause a panic, and once I make it to the field, I full blown run.

It really has been too long. Two straight months without this, two months since my first adventure ended, and two months of re-establishing Hyrule with Zelda.

With a burst of forgotten strength, I dash over the field at top speed, smiling all I can.

I skid to a stop on a hill, panting. I close my eyes as I take in the familiar scents, the wind ruffling my fur as it whistles by. I look at the sky and see the moon, I can't help myself, I howl. After getting that out of my lungs, I lie down with my head on my paws, simply enjoying the cool, late autumn night.

My nose and ears twitch, my head shoots up from my paws, alert of the odd scent and sound. The scent smells like hot desert sand and steel, the sound is like air, sure and light-footed.

I almost jump out of my fur when I hear a thud behind me. I jump to my feet and growl at the shadow figure, head low. The figure steps into my line of sight and I blink, he has a blue body suit with a ripped, white tunic over his torso, on the tunic is a blood red eye that looks like it's crying blood. He has a white shawl around his head, making his bright sun blonde hair fall in front of his left eye. The eye I can see is crimson red, like blood.

We just stare at each other, will he attack? I'm just a wolf in his eyes, so will he think I'm a threat?

"Sheik!" I look to the side to see a girl in the same clothes as 'Sheik', but her hair is black. "C'mon, Master is waiting-huh?" she spots me, her crimson eyes narrowing. Out from her elbows, blades appear with the flick of her wrist, making me crouch if she tries to attack.

"Sonja, relax," Sheik tells her. "If this wolf was a threat, it would have attacked me when I was just staring at it."

"You heard Master! 'Never let your guard down, it could mean your end!'" she's not convinced easily.

"C'mon, Sonja, like you said, Master's waiting," Sheik turns, but Sonja keeps her eyes on me.

To prove that I'm not hostile, I sit, tail wagging, and drop my ears down my head.

It seems to work, she smiles and comes over, her blades retracted. She bends down to my height and scratches behind my ears, making my tail wag harder in the dirt. "Good wolf, guess Sheik was right. Bye," she pats my head once more before disappearing into the darkness after Sheik.

I shake my head and stand, ready to go back to the Castle.

Once I make it to my room, I nudge Navi with my nose to get her up, not wanting to sleep as a wolf and scare a servant if they come in. "Oh, you're back. You've been gone a while," she says as she hits the pressure-point.

I just nod as I stretch and yawn, exhausted from the adrenalin rush I had as a wolf. I get into bed and pull the covers over my head, eyelids growing heavy. ''Night Navi,' I yawn again before falling asleep.

-The Next Morning-

"Link, get up!" I feel something tug my ear, so I shake my head to make it go away.

"Link!" this time I sit up as something zaps me. I glare at Navi as she acts all 'innocent'.

'Good morning to you, too,' I think dryly.

"C'mon, I know for a fact that you have an endless stomach," she says as I kick my legs over the edge of the bed, just as my stomach growls.

I stick my tongue out at her as she laughs, getting up and heading to the kitchen in bare feet. "You alright?" Navi asks. I look at her in confusion. "You kept thinking to me in your sleep, all I could understand was 'tornado', 'sword' and 'surface'."

'Weird, I don't remember dreaming last night,' I put my hands behind my head.

"Link!" I snap out of my musings to see Ilia running up. "I wanted to see you again before you go and try to kill yourself."

'Thanks for the support,' I smile at her as we walk.

"Have you seen that Edward guy? He came by yesterday morning when I was in the stables."

I nod, suppressing a shiver. "He's pretty hansom," Ilia muses. I gag, whether or not that she knows I am not joking, I have no clue.

After having breakfast and 'talking', Ilia leaves and I head to the throne room. I peek my head in and see Zelda talking to Edward again, Nura, Adam, Alex and Shadow waiting just inside the door.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Nura greets as I come to her side.

I nod as Edward and Zelly talk. "So your home was attacked late last night, and you got a letter saying that it would be safe for you to stay here?" Zelda asks.

"Yes, I hope that it doesn't cause any in conveyance for you," Edward says.

"Not at all, you may stay in the chamber you have required here until you can return home," Zelda nods and Edward leaves, nudging me and making me stumble on his way out.

'Jerk,' I turn my head to Zelda, who stands up.

"The next Sage to find is in Death Mountain, the Fire Temple is deeper inside the mountain than even the Goron Mines, so it will be much hotter."

'The Goron Mines were hot enough,' I mind grumble.

"If you talk to Gor Coron, I believe you-" just then, a loud rumbling shakes the castle, in the distance, I can hear a roar.

"What was that?" Adam asks.

"That roar sounded familiar," Navi whispers on my shoulder. "But I can't place it."

We all run outside and my eyes widen. Death Mountain's cloud, it's…_red_, like dried blood. Another roar bellows over the land and I pinpoint it, from the mountain itself.

'The Gorons, they're in trouble!' I panic and sprint through the castle, not bothering to slow down for the others. I have to save them!

After saving Darbus, the Goron's made me their honorary 'Brother', meaning I was seen as one of them and made a pact to help them whenever they needed it. And they defiantly need it now.

"Slow down, Link!" I hear Nura yell at me, but I ignore her as I dash through the halls of the castle and out into the courtyard.

I run through the panicking Castle Town and leave through the West Gate, the fastest way to Death Mountain. I hear the others behind me, but I don't slow down, the sooner I get to my Brothers, the sooner I can help them.

"Link, you need to slow down," Navi says and I finally skid to a stop in the middle of the field, staring at the cloud above Death Mountain.

"Wow, for someone so short, you can sure run," Adam pants and falls to the ground behind me.

Ignoring the short comment, I can only gape at the mountain, it's rumbling slightly and I feel fear in the pit of my stomach, something's going to happen if I don't stop it. Once the other two catch up (Shadow and Vaati stayed at the castle), we enter Kakariko to see the people there getting into carriages.

"Hey! You kids better get in," a bald man yells at us. "The mountain will most likely erupt."

"What about the Gorons?" Nura asks the question we're all thinking.

The man glares at her before answering rudely, "What about them? And why would a Gerudo like you care?" he walks over to us and sneers at my friend.

I step to Nura's side, arms crossed and eyes narrowed to slits. I see anger in his eyes, but he shuts up and leaves, but not before I hit him in the back of the head with a Deku Seed. I whistle innocently when he glances over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Link," Nura grins, but it doesn't meet her eyes.

I frown, that man really did hurt her. I don't know much about Gerudo, but I know they have their pride, when someone singles out one to be the same as her sisters, it is one of the biggest insults that can be made. Especially if the one who did it is a man.

We walk up the mountain in silence, besides the odd tremors that occur.

Once we make it to the Hot Springs, I gasp, where are the Gorons? There are usually at least _some_ here! But, not one is in sight.

Something's really wrong. I jump down and wade through the water, desperate to see at least one Goron.

When I do find one, it is not what I expected. I sink to my knees beside the dead rock-being, his skin is charred black and his once black eyes are cloudy and unfocused. A long gash of three claws run across his chest and stomach, leaving deep scars and dry blood covers the body.

'What did this? It looks like this Brother was burned and clawed at the same time!' I think sadly as I place a hand on his rocky chest.

"Link…" Navi flies down and lands on my shoulder as I feel tears in my eyes. I knew this Goron, he was the first one who helped me up the mountain despite his orders. His name is…was Bruce.

I stand up slowly and look around, I now see the remaining arms, legs and even a head of other Gorons. 'Mother of Nayru, what did this?'

Stiffly, almost Redead-like, I walk through the steaming water, but it feels like I'm walking through ice. My blood continues to run cold as I climb up the rocky cliff. Once I pull myself to the top, I see the other three looking around, just as repulsed as I feel.

Suddenly, my emotions rush at me. Pain, fear, anger and sadness pretty much slap me in the face and I clench my fists, still on the ground. I'm going to _kill_ whatever did this!

The roar bellows over the mountain again and I waste no time in following the echo. Once I come to a tunnel, my eyes narrow as I see red haze inside. 'I need to get in there, but it will be too hot,' I sigh and close my eyes, trying to calm down.

The sound of rocks moving makes my ears twitch and I look up in hope to see a young Goron child coming out of a pile of boulders. I walk over, resisting the urge to sprint, and crouch in front of the young Goron.

'Are you alright?' I ask silently as I place a hand on his shoulder.

He sniffs and looks up at me, tears leaking down his rocky face. Suddenly, he flings his arms around my neck, almost chocking me, but I hug back as he cries into my shoulder, telling me what happened.

"H-he t-took them…all! Petrarch Darbus…hid me and the other –hic, sniffle- Goron kids away, but he and the rest of the tribe-gasp- were taken by a giant dragon!" he wails.

"What? Dragon?" Navi's blue aura turns crimson in her worry and panic. "It-it wasn't…Volvagia, was it?"

Volvagia? I wonder who that is…

"Y-yeah! Some guy in weird clothes and a frog helmet-" my head shoots up and I look at Navi "-came and thrust this glowing sword into the mountain, and out came Vol-that dragon!" the Goron kid pulls out of the hug and wipes his eyes with his arm.

"Do you know where he is now? The frog helmet man?" Navi asks gently.

"No, he left soon after, saying something about Zora's Domain," the Goron boy hiccups.

'He's targeting the Zora's, too? Navi, we need to get in there and help the Gorons, kill this Volvagia, and get to the Domain before Zant can hurt them too!' I think frantically, running a hand through my hair.

Sensing my distress, the Goron boy looks up the one centimetre at me. "You're planning to go after the dragon, aren't you?" I nod. "Well, I guess you're in luck, I have the Goron Tunic with me, it will help you survive the heat. I guess Darbus was right in giving it to me before…"

He passes the tunic and I give a small smile. "Don't worry," Navi flutters in front of his face. "Well save all the Gorons, we promise."

"Really?" he looks at us hopefully.

I grin cross my arms in an 'X' across my chest, it's what Ilia and I always do.

The boy nods, a quivering smile on his lips, and runs off to hide.

I quickly take off my tunic and replace it with the other. I step forward and crack my knuckles, 'Time to kick some dragon butt!'

I entre the Death Mountain Crater and shake my head at the sudden heat. Ignoring it, I walk on and find myself at a destroyed bridge. 'Great, now what?' I ask Navi. 'I don't have my Clawshots anymore.'

"What happened to them in the first place?" Navi asks.

'I don't know, the day after I killed Ganon, all my things beside shield, Clawshots, which were taken in the Forest Temple, my Iron Boots and Zora Tunic were all gone. I suspect that maybe the other things were returned to the Temples I found them in,' I tell her.

"Do you have your stone?" Navi asks.

I almost face-palm myself, 'I can't believe I forgot…'

"Hey, your mind was panicking," Navi shrugs and flies off my shoulder as I grab the stone.

'So, the Hero's arrived, has he?' a figure stands on a tall rock, watching the Hero being taken over the lava by the fairy. "Well, I'll make sure to have fun with him, but I will kill him this time," onyx eyes narrow before the figure disappears.

I look down the hole, there's a ladder, but I can't see the bottom of the decent. 'Time to save the Gorons,' I grab the ladder and head down.

About halfway down, I nearly have a heart attack when my foot meats air. I gasp as I slip and grab onto the bar tightly with my feet dangling under me. After my heart slows down, I look at Navi. "You okay?" she asks.

I nod and look down, I still can't see the ground.

A loud, groan-like sound fills my ears and we look up to see the ladder start to sway. My grip tightens as I jerk and the sound of metal detaching from itself causes my ears to fall.

Before I can do anything, I start to fall. I try to grab something on the wall, but the stone is too smooth for me to get a grip.

"Link!" Navi screams as I start to fall faster. I look around desperately, I can't use my stone (I'm too panicked) and Navi can't possibly help me.

I turn myself around and get ready to roll, it may not be the best plan, but it's the only one I have. I hit the ground hard and roll, but manage to crash right into something.

With a grunt, I take out whatever it is and we both continue to roll on until I find myself face-first on the ground with the thing on top of me.

"Ow, Farore's Spirit, what was that?" the thing on me asks.

I hit his back with my hand and he jumps off of me. Nodding my thanks, I stand up to see the guy from the other night, Sheik, standing there. Only, this time he's wearing a red version of his other clothes.

"Who are you?" he asks, taking out some throwing knives, just in case I guess.

I look around to find Navi, but…she's nowhere in sight. 'Navi?' I ignore Sheik and turn around, trying to look for the fay. 'Navi, where are you?' I mind yell.

"I asked you a question," I keep ignoring him and jog to where the ladder is supposed to be.

'Navi!' I look up into the darkness. 'Where is she…?' I frown in confusion.

"Hey! Hylian!" I turn to Sheik, he looks kinda ticked… "Are you meaning to annoy me?"

I shake my head. "Then say something!" I shake my head again and put a hand on my throat. "You've got to be kidding me…you can't seriously be mute, can you?"

I nod, he groans and face-palms. "Oh, wonderful, the only person to help me out is a mute."

"Link!" I smile and turn quickly to see Navi flying over. "Are you okay?"

'Yep, I'm fine, crashed into this guy, though,' I jerk my head at Sheik.

"A fairy? You know, I'm not even going to ask," Sheik sighs.

"And who would you be?" Navi asks.

"Sheik," he says. I think I see Navi's aura glow a bit brighter at this, but it quickly dims.

"I see. I'm Navi, and this is Link."

The Temple shakes and I remember why I'm here in the first place. I run passed Sheik and come to some stairs. On both my left and right are doors and statues with fire mouths stand in front of me, the middle one taller than the other two. Two Fire-Keese come at me, but I quickly deal with them and go through the left door, since it's not locked.

I entre the room to see rocks and pillars standing in the lava, making a pathway to the other side where a large door stands, 'So, the dragon might possibly be in there,' I 'say' to Navi.

"I would believe so," she bobs up and down.

"Who's there?" I look up to see a large bolder fall on the center pillar. The 'bolder' stands up and I feel a smile form on my face. It's Darbus!

The Goron looks down at me and smiles. "Well, if it isn't Brother Link! I see that blasted dragon got your attention," he says as I hop onto the pillar.

'Hard not to,' I muse as I crane my head back to look at his face.

"I also see that Darunia gave you the tunic," I look down as he gestures to it. "That kid is really something…Link, I need your help. As I'm sure Dar told you, the entire Goron race has been taken by the dragon and is being held captive somewhere in this Temple. Interesting when history repeats itself," he says thoughtfully.

I give him a curious look. "This same thing happened during the quest of the Hero of Time, the Gorons were taken by the dragon. You will help me, won't you Brother?"

I nod, pulling my sword off my back. He smiles broadly, "Thanks. Now, I need to distract the dragon so he doesn't feast on my people. I may not have the Megaton Hammer, but I'll give it a shot. Good luck, Brother," he claps my shoulders, making my legs buckle, and heads off through the door, locking it behind him.

"Alright, Link, let's go," Navi tugs my ear and I follow her. I open the door to see Sheik picking the lock of the other.

I tap his shoulder and he jumps up, placing a knife on my neck. 'Hi to you, too,' I think as I push the knife away.

He puts it back and looks me up and down, stopping at my eyes. "Do I know you?" he asks. "You seem familiar."

I shrug, whether he knows I'm the wolf or not, I don't have a clue.

-Sheik's POV-

I know I've seen this guy's eyes before, but where? My mind drifts back to the night I saw that wolf, it acted oddly, and it wasn't going to attack, it was only in a defence stance.

Could he be…? No. It's not logical, a human can't turn into a wolf, and even with those rumours of the Human-Wolves, those guys only show up with a full moon, the wolf was out with a half moon.

I see Link's ears twitch and the short kid frowns as he looks around me at the door. He runs passed me and I follow to see what he heard. A strange creature with the body of a bird and a woman's head is flying through the room, chasing something.

"You've seen things like this?" I look at Navi as she talks to Link. "How?"

The fairy must be able to communicate through telepathy.

"Oh, that's why they're around…anyway, what is it?" Link shrugs. "Guess it doesn't matter. But what's it chasing?"

A screech from the bird-woman catches our attention and we look up to see she's spotted us. "Ah, so the little elf has come," she lands harshly on the ground in front of us, towering over Link as I go into the shadows, bringing out my knives. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Link takes out his sword and glares coldly at the hybrid. "You dare challenge me? Fine, I shall have joy in ripping you apart," she grins, showing sharp teeth, and lunges at the Hylian.

Link jumps out of the way and slashes at the hybrid's stomach, but she flies up and circles over his head. "You are slower than a Moblin compared to me, now let me show you my people's power!" the hybrid speeds up, causing a bright, shining orb of white light to form in the spot she's spinning around.

I hold my knives tighter, what is this thing planning?

"I don't know, Link." Apparently, the Hylian was thinking the same. "But be ready for anything."

The hybrid sends the orb at Link, much faster than any of us expected. Link tries to jump out of the way, but the orb hits him and he falls back into the wall. I blink when he gets up slowly, his body covered in burns.

I jump nearly three feet into the air when I hear a voice, 'Ow. Okay, Navi? We might need to keep in mind that the glowing ball of whatever-it-is still hurts with the tunic.' It sounds like a girl's voice, maybe around my age.

"Are you okay?" I look over and see Link getting to his feet painfully.

Link nods and looks up at the hybrid, who is frowning. "How did you survive that? I killed seven people with that already!"

The Hylian just smirks and takes out his bow, notching an arrow. 'Guess I'm just lucky,' okay, where is that coming from?

Link releases the arrow and it prices the hybrid through the neck. She falls into the lava and Link covers his nose as Navi hides in his hat. 'Goddess, that smells gross!' the voice exclaims.

"Burning flesh is never a pleasure to smell," Navi's muffled voice comes from the hat.

Suddenly, Link falls to his knees. Navi flies out as I come out of the shadows. "Guess now that that's over, your burns hurt?" Navi asks.

'Understatement,' the voice mumbles.

Let's see, a girl's voice starts coming into my head after I come into this room, the only girl in this room is Navi, but when she speaks to Link, it's like I hear his response, which isn't possible since he's mute. So where is the voice coming from?

"Maybe you should rest for a bit," I suggest, snapping out of my thoughts.

Link nods and, to my surprise, falls asleep on the ground. "That has got to be a record," I muse as I sit down, back on the wall.

My thoughts go back to the voice, the clues I picked up running through my head.

After ten minutes, I start to notice Link tossing and turning in his sleep. I hear the voice again, only this time it's tired and quiet, 'Gotta…Surface…to stop…G(whatever she needs to stop, I can't understand)…stop the…Imprisoned. AHH!'

I jump when Link sits up fast, breathing heavily and looking around. 'That dream again?' it clicks. I know where the voice is coming from, but how?

"Did you remember it this time?" Navi asks, floating in Link's face.

'Kinda, I remember this large, black monster thing, but that's about it…' Link rubs the back of his (her?) head.

"Strange…" Navi says thoughtfully.

"We should get going," I say, I'll get more information before I confront the Hylian.

-Link's POV-

Why's he looking at me weird? Ah well, I guess it doesn't really matter.

I rub my head again, the stinking fire-ball of death is going to be annoying me now.

'Hey, Nav', what exactly was that thing?' I ask, sword ready in case another one comes along.

'I could only get some information, but I think it's called a Harpy,' the fay says as she sits on my shoulder.

Is Sheik still around? I look over my shoulder to see his eyes slightly unfocused, like he's thinking about something. Weird, before he wouldn't stop talking. I stop walking and wave my hand in front of his face, making him shake his head and come back to reality.

I look at him curiously. "Uh…it's nothing. I'm just thinking," he shrugs and walks past me.

Blinking, I follow the Sheikah until we cross the bridge, where a locked door is. I sigh and look around, spotting another door on the far left. That could work.

I head over and hop across the moving blocks before coming to the door. I open it and walk through, coming to a corridor with a torch. My ears twitch, I can hear something at the end. Taking out my sword, I slowly walk down the corridor. I make it to the end to find a cell, with a Goron inside.

I step on the switch, opening the cell, and I walk up to the curled-up Goron. I put a hand on the Goron's back and I feel a jerk. "Please don't eat me!" I jump back a step as the Goron yells. "I'm not tasty!"

"We're not here to eat you, we're here to help," Navi says.

The Goron calms down and uncurls himself, letting out a sigh of relief when he looks down at me. "Oh, good. I was worried it would be my turn to be eaten."

"Where are the other Gorons?" Navi asks.

"More Gorons are deeper in the Temple. I was separated because I was to be taken to the dragon next," he shivers. "But, thanks for freeing me, Brother." He claps me on the back and almost sends me to the ground before rolling away.

'That still hurts…' I mind-mutter as I open a chest. 'Seriously? What idiot puts a key inside a cell?' I wonder.

"It's happened before," Navi shrugs as I walk out of the corridor.

I come back to the locked door to see Sheik playing a golden harp. Heh, cool.

'Where have I heard this song before?' I muse to myself before shaking my head.

"Wow, I guess that's one way to pass the time," Navi says from my shoulder.

'Hey, Sheiky,' I poke his shoulder and snicker when he jumps up, pulling his knives out.

He frowns, obviously not amused. "Alright, let's go. The faster we save the Gorons, the faster I get out of here," he says with a board tone and takes the key out of my hand.

'Wait,' I think, forgetting he can't hear me. I go in front of him, looking at him in disbelief. 'Is that the only reason you're helping? To save yourself?'

"Basically," he says.

I glare, 'What? How could you say that? The Gorons are nothing but peaceful! They don't deserve to die!'

"Peace never lasts," he says indifferently.

'As if I don't know that! I once lived as a ranch-hand, nothing more, nothing less. I lived in a _peaceful_ village until King Bublin came along! It all started as a search for my friends that turned into saving Hyrule! You wanna know why I did it? Because I wanted to save everyone! I was the only person who could help, and I almost died fighting Ganondorf! Another person like him is coming, and I am going to risk my life again if I have to confront him! So yes, I know peace doesn't last forever, but that doesn't mean it can't be restored!' I finish my rant, panting.

He stares at me for a few seconds. "It also doesn't mean it can. I've seen war, too. I know what it's like. And sacrifices have to be made," he says calmly, not looking me in the eye.

'An entire-' I stop, realizing something. How…can he hear me? 'How can you read my thoughts?' I look at him suspiciously.

His eyes widen, probably figuring out he answered me, even though I'm mute. He thinks it over. "You tell me," he shrugs. "But it doesn't matter, I can find my own way out." He turns to leave, throwing the key back at me.

I narrow my eyes as he walks to the edge of the lava. He takes out a Deku Nut, but before he goes, he looks over his shoulder, "But I have to say, I never suspected that you were a girl." And he leaves, causing me to flinch by the Deku Nut flash.

I blink in astonishment for a few seconds, confused beyond belief.

"That was strange," Navi says, breaking the silence.

I nod, still mulling the conversation we had in my mind. 'L-let's go,' I unlock the door and walk through, coming into a room with a chain-link fence, more lava, and a block on top of a fire geyser. 'How can he hear?' I ask Navi.

"I have no idea, Link. Has this happened before with anyone else?"

'Let's see, the only people who can hear me without the Triforce are you, Midna, the Twili, and now Sheik. But I don't have a clue as to how he can,' I sigh, shaking my head. 'But it doesn't matter. He doesn't care, so let's just forget about him.'

I look at the fence and at the lava below me. If I take a running jump, I might be able to make it. I back up until I come to the wall and dash at the edge. I jump across and grab the fence, much to Navi's dislike.

"What were you thinking? You could have fallen into the lava!" Navi yells as I climb up the fence.

'Yep, I _could_ have, but I didn't!' I smirk.

"You know what I mean, smarty breeches!" Navi flicks my ear and I laugh as I pull myself up.

'It's fine, Navi,' I smile as I jump down to the platform, waiting for the geyser and block to come down.

I jump onto the block and stumble a bit when it goes up. Once I reach the top, I get off and go to the door.

"Wait, something's wrong," Navi whispers.

'Is something in there?' I ask.

"Hey!" a voice makes me jump and I look up to see a strange creature with the top half of its body like an eagle and the bottom like a cat of some sort. Its feathers are copper red and the fur is golden in colour. "Thanks for dealing with that Harpy! It almost ate me!"

"What are you?" Navi asks and I look it up and down as it flies to the ground. It's about the size of a cat.

"I am a Gryphon!" his eyes shine proudly as he circles my head. "That Harpy was chasing me for a meal, but she wouldn't listen when I said someone was coming to kill her."

"You knew we were coming?"

"Well, not exactly, I'm not psychic, but I did get a feeling that something was going to help me. And someone did!" he lands on my shoulders. "My name's Felix."

"I'm Navi, and this is Link," Navi says. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some friends we need to save."

"Do you mean the rock people? I know where they are! They're about two or three rooms from here. I can help you if you like," he offers.

"How can you help?" Navi asks.

"My eyesight is the best of my kind," he puffs out his chest proudly. "I can spot an ant on the ground from the top of a mountain. I can easily spot a giant rock-man."

I nod, 'I'm fine with it. He could help a lot.'

"Great! Come this way," he hops off my shoulders and walks over to the door.

I open the door to find a two way cell, some slugs on fire, a crystal, chain-link fences and flames surrounding one of the fences that lead up. "Alright, there's a key in there, but none of your rock friends," Felix tells me as I climb onto an elevated platform to the left.

After killing the Fire Slug, I jump across and push the block off the edge where the crystal is. After pulling it to the end of the grove, I climb on and up the fence. I look down at the crystal, about to jump down and hit it, when Navi stops me. "You need to hit it from here, if you go down, you can't make it to the fence in time to get past the flames."

'Okay,' I nod and take out my bow. I hit the crystal and climb onto the last platform, quickly going up the fence before the flames come back.

I open the door and walk through to find a maze, do I hear rumbling?

"We'll have to be careful, if my memory serves me right, then there will be some boulders in here," Navi says.

'Good to know,' I think and look around a corner, jumping back when a boulder almost runs me over. 'I see what you mean…'

"Wow, how do those keep moving?" Felix asks.

I shrug as I run the opposite way of the boulder, but almost get run over by another. I back up to the wall and feel Felix jump onto my leg as the boulder rolls by. After my heart slows down, I run off, Felix still on my leg, and find a small groove in the wall.

I sigh in relief as I back up, leaning on a wall to rest. "I don't like those boulders," Felix says, finally letting go of my leg.

I nod in agreement before heading out again. Felix runs after me and we soon find a door. We go through to see lava, a chain-link fence held in the air so I can walk on it, and two doors, one to the side, the other at the end.

I jump onto the fence and start to go when I hear flames behind me. Curios, I turn and gasp when I see a wall of flame _moving_ towards me. I start to run as Felix flies, Navi's in my hat, muttering something. A Fire Bubble comes out of the lava and I manage to dodge it and make it to the other side, climbing the elevated platforms to get to the door.

"We're safe up here, the flames won't reach us," Navi tells me.

I nod as Felix lands on my shoulders, feathers puffed up. "I don't like this place."

I laugh as I open the door. I find myself on the top of the maze and see a hole on the platform in front of me. After killing the Fire Slug, I climb down and push the switch down, opening the cell both ways to find the room I was in before. I take the key out of the cell and head back up, groaning in annoyance when I see another Fire Slug.

I go back into the room with the fire wall and jump down, mind muttering when I see the wall come up behind me. I climb onto a pillar in front of the elevated door and wait for the wall to pass before jumping. I unlock the door to see another room with boulders, pillars that blow fire, and random poles everywhere.

I jump down and head to the left and try to walk through some poles, and nearly have a heart-attack when a fire wall erupts from them. It takes a few seconds to realize that Felix is clinging to my arm, claws extended. I tap his head and he looks up, getting a sheepish look in his eyes. "Er, sorry," he mumbles, jumping off and onto the ground.

"Huh, I forgot about these," Navi says.

'You…forgot?' I ask, looking at her in disbelief.

"You try remembering everything after about a thousand years," she huffs.

I shake my head and walk on, making sure not to run into a fire wall. Sadly, I get tricked three times. Now I'm burned and my hair's charred. 'I don't like this place,' I mind-whine.

"Quit complaining, it isn't that bad," Navi says. I glare at her, she managed to come out unscathed.

"You should talk, I'm almost a roasted chicken over here!" Felix says, his feathers and fur black from the ash.

'Chicken?' I wonder.

"We're almost at the door, you should be fine in there," Navi says. I roll my eyes at her changing the subject and go to the door, luckily without mishap. I open it to see a hall of cells, Gorons everywhere.

'Finally!' I think as I run to the closest. I knock on the cell and the Goron inside, Gor Coron, stands up, crossing his arms.

"Well, if it isn't Link. Nice to see you Brother," he greets. "Do you think you can get us out? That blasted dragon is going to get hungry soon."

I nod and easily push a switch on the wall. The cell opens, but the doorknob down the hall turns. "Quick, get in!" Gor Coron pulls me into the cell. Felix runs in just before the cell closes and hides behind my legs.

Coron hides me in the shadows and curls up as footsteps come down the hall. I gulp and shrink back, Felix jumping into my arms as we wait with short breath.

What comes into view is defiantly something I don't want to see any time soon. A big beast about the size of a tall man walks over, the top of its body is a bull and the bottom half is clearly a man (to my displeasure, this thing doesn't wear anything). The bull/human hybrid snorts and sniffs the air, I shrink back and slowly use the wall to lower myself.

'What is this thing?' I think, my chest staring to hurt from holding my breath.

The beast looks into our cell and snorts. Gor Coron unrolls and stands up, it's unnerving seeing him look up at this thing (considering he's tall to me). "I smell something other than you in that cell," the bull-man says gruffly. "What is in there?"

"Nothing of importance," Gor Coron answers calmly. "Is there any other reason as to why you are here?"

"Time for your rock," he says and throws one small rock into the cell, it lands by my feet and I tuck my foot under me. This isn't enough for a Goron, they need to eat about six big rocks a day to keep their nutrition.

Gor Coron sighs as the bull-man gives the other Gorons rocks and leaves. I let out the breath I was holding, feeling light-headed. "As you can see, we are in a bit of a tight place," Coron says, taking the rock and sitting beside me. "Now the problem is getting you out."

"That won't be a problem," Navi says, coming out of my hat. "Link has the Kokiri Stone, he can shrink down to my size."

"Hum, well I won't get in your way. But before you go, Brother, I need to warn you, that bull-man is a Minotaur. There are only men and it is rather disturbing how they breed," he explains, munching on his rock. "Be grateful you aren't a girl."

I gulp, that's never something I want to hear. I go to the edge, Felix jumping out of my arms. "So, what are you going to do?" he asks, looking up at me.

"Link will use the stone around his neck to become the size of me," Navi explains, flying at eye-level with the Gryphon.

I hold the stone and smirk at Felix's shocked eyes. "Whoa, that's awesome," he lies down and puts his head on his front talons to look at my level. "Heh, you're even smaller than Navi like this."

I roll my eyes and walk out of the cell, making sure nothing is coming when I use the stone again and open Coron's cell. He nods to me and we open the rest. Soon, I'm covered in bruises from the hugs the Goron's gave me, particularly the older brother of Darunia. After the Gorons leave, the Elders come to me. "We have a request. Now that we are freed, will you try to help Darbus? He may be powerful, but even he is venerable to the dragon," Coron tells me.

I nod. "Now, to fight this dragon, you must find the Megaton Hammer, it was used by the Hero of Time himself," Gor Amoto tells me. "It should be somewhere still in the Temple."

"Good luck, Brother," Coron leaves with the others in tow.

I smile, at least I saved more Goron's from that gruesome fate. Now I have to help Darbus.

'Okay, where would the Hammer be?' I ask Navi.

"I'm not sure. It could be anywhere. But I know a room where we should start," she flies to the other end of the hall. I open the door cautiously and sigh in relief when I see no Minotaurs around. I'm on the other side of the last room I was in and see a door behind me and to the left.

After maneuvering through the maze of fire walls (luckily not getting burned this time), I step on a switch and the larger fire wall on the risen platform goes down. I run over with Felix on my heels and nod when we make it. I try to open the door, but it moves and comes down.

I fall back and yelp when the door slams down on my foot, crushing it before going back to its place on the wall.

'Stupid door,' I mind mutter as I back away, holding my foot.

"That looked like it hurt," I glare at Felix. "What?"

I shake my head and try to stand up, but when I put pressure on my foot, I feel nothing but pain. With a gasp, I go into a crouch, holding my foot with gritted teeth.

"Do you have any berries or potions?" Navi asks.

'Nope, I ate all the berries for my burns and the last potion I gave to Felix when his paw got burnt,' I think, sitting back down.

"Hum…Okay, I think it's time for a rest anyways. You're getting overtired," Navi says.

'How'd you know?'

"If you weren't tired, you would have gotten out of the door's way in time."

'Right.'

"Where can we rest? If one of those Minotaur comes, then we'll be in trouble. They hate Elves with a passion," Felix says.

'I guess I could use the stone and hide,' I suggest, yawning.

"Good idea," Navi bobs up and down. I grab the stone and the second I'm tiny I fall asleep.

-Third POV-

Navi shakes her head as she picks Link up by her arms and drags her over to the side. After making sure she was in a comfortable position, the fairy sits beside her.

"Your friend's strange," Felix says, lying down in front of them. "He had a panicked look in his eye when the rock-man said the Minotaur only attacked girls. Why would he be worried? He's a boy; the Minotaurs will only lock him up."

Navi looks at Link, who mind-mumbles something in her sleep as she turns over. 'Should I tell him? I'll ask Link first though.'

"I think he's just worried for a friend, she's on the mountain," Navi says. It was probably the truth, too.

After some silence, Navi speaks up, "I'm just curious, how did you and those other creatures come here?"

"I'm not sure. When I was with my clan, all we saw was this dark light take us away from our home. We found ourselves in this mountain and have been hiding here for about a month now," Felix explains. "So, why is Link helping the rock people? He'll most likely be killed or hurt."

"Link is not the average person. He cares a lot about those he befriends, he would rather himself get hurt than someone close," Navi says. "But I have a feeling that if someone close does get hurt he'll lose his temper."

"Heh, I know someone with a temper, she's my older sister," Felix yawns, stretching out his talons. "Do you want me to keep watch?"

"No, I can, thank you," Navi says and Felix nods before curling up and falling asleep like a cat.

After half an hour, Navi realizes that Link isn't mind-mumbling in her sleep. 'She must be too tired,' she thinks and smiles slightly as she watches Link. The Hylian turns in her sleep, snuggling her head into an arm pillow. 'Sometimes, she acts so much like Link that it brings back memories.'

Then the ground shakes, waking the Hylian up as Navi gets to her feet. 'Wha's goin' on?' Link thinks groggily.

'I'm not sure, stay hidden and I'll look,' Navi tells her and flies up, gasping when she sees a Minotaur coming through the flames.

She flies back down to see Link using the wall to stand up. 'There's a Minotaur coming!' Navi thinks, helping her up.

'Oh Twili,' Link winces.

The fairy and Hylian start to head into the shadows when Link remembers. 'Felix!' she gets out from under Navi's arm and limps over to the Gryphon. She pushes on his head in an attempt to get him up. 'Felix, wake up! Please!'

The Gryphon's gold eyes open and he lifts his head, making Link fall over. He looks down at her and blinks when the ground shakes again. Looking up, his feathers puff up when he sees the Minotaur coming over to him.

Thinking fast, Felix picks Link up in his beak and hides her in his feathers, scratching the floor to hide her sneeze.

"Little Gryphon, what are you doing here? How did you get out of that cave?" the Minotaur snorts, looking down at Felix.

"I'm small enough," he shrugs.

The Minotaur sniffs the air. "I smell…a female here. Where is she hiding?" the bull-man picks Felix up by the ruff, not noticing Link fall out of the feathers and hold onto Felix's tail.

"Female? The only female is the fairy," Felix says, looking at Navi, who quickly flies away from trying to get Link off Felix's tail.

"Hum, but I smell another female…human…" the Minotaur says. "We cannot allow the humans to know we are here. Find female, and bring her here."

Felix nods and the Minotaur drops him. The Gryphon gracefully lands on his talons, but Link falls off his tail and gets the wind knocked out of her.

-Link's POV-

Breathe, breathe!

I pant as I sit up, slightly dizzy from the swinging motion of the tail. The ground shakes again as the Minotaur (I'm calling him Burt) leaves. I sigh in relief when the ground stops shaking and Felix looks down at me. "He's gone. I don't know why he smelled a human female. But Minotaurs have better smell than Gryphons," he shrugs.

'Yeah, I wonder why,' I mind-mumble as Navi helps me up.

"Can you walk?" she asks, looking down at my foot.

'I think so,' I let go of her and stand, testing my foot. It hurts slightly still, but it's not broken. 'Alright, I'm good,' I use the stone and stretch.

"Alright! Now how can we get through the door?" Felix asks.

"We could bomb it," Navi suggests.

'I don't have my bombs anymore, they got taken away in the Forest Temple,' I tell her.

"Oh! I know somebody who can get the door down! I'll be right back!" Felix flies off and into a hole in the roof.

"What's he planning?" I shrug.

After waiting for five minutes, I hear Felix flying down, but I also hear larger wings. My jaw drops when a Gryphon the size of a horse comes down, its feathers are black and its fur is a sandy-gold colour. It lands and ruffles its feathers, smacking me with its wing as it does. I shake my head as I sit up, gaping at the large bird-cat.

"Link, this is my older sister, Elsie," Felix's eyes smile as I get to my feet.

"Hum, so this is the kid you were talking about?" Elsie lowers her head to my height. "Kinda small, isn't he?"

"He's big to me," Felix mutters before brightening. "Can you bust the door down?"

"Sure, easy," Elsie nods and goes to the door. Dust soon fills the air as she walks back out. "Done and done. Need any help, Baby-Boy?" her eyes smirk.

"I'm not a baby! I'll soon become of age!" Felix growls.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she flicks her tail.

As the siblings bicker, I open the door, getting pushed aside when Elsie comes in, her brother flying in behind her. I get to my feet and look at Navi, 'Somebody has an attitude.'

She bobs up and down in agreement as we look around the room. Nothing significant is in here, only a small fire in the corner. I go to the block in the middle and stumble back when it erupts in flames. The fire in the corner jumps into it and becomes a body with fire limbs and a black circle in the middle.

"A Flare Dancer," Navi whispers.

How can we fight this thing?

The Flare Dancer spins around ballet style and red flames fall over the ground in a circle. "What are we going to do?" Felix asks, jumping onto my shoulders.

"Obviously, we're going to need to get the body out of the fire," Elsie rolls her eyes. "Move aside, elf," she shoves me over _again_ and I stick my tongue out at her back.

She extends her brutal looking talons and crouches as the Flare Dancer glides around the room. She lashes out and catches the Dancer in the middle, knocking the body out of its fire limbs.

"Take that!" Elsie says smugly as she slashes the Dancer's body.

The black ball jumps back into the fire and comes out with blue fire limbs this time. "Wasn't expecting that," Felix remarks as it spins again.

I grab my bow and put an arrow on. I let it go, but the Dancer swiftly moves away from it and lets blue flames out. And the blue flames start coming at me. 'What the-' I jump over them, trying to avoid getting burned.

"Hum, that's new," Elsie says thoughtfully as I come to her side. "We'll need a different game-plan."

"Like what?" Navi asks, using her limited magic to push the flames away.

"This," I feel the back of my tunic be lifted up and I fly through the fire to crash into the Flare Dancer, receiving more burns than I would like.

I jump to my feet and stomp on the body hard. Once it's kicked enough times, it jumps back into the fire and comes out again, but with green fire limbs.

'Okay, I'm staying away from Elsie now,' I think as the Gryphon crouches.

"Elf, come over here," I narrow my eyes suspiciously. "I won't throw you this time."

Reluctantly, I walk over and her eyes spark. "Okay, stay here and don't move at all," she tells me and leaps up, hanging from the roof.

The Dancer comes over and looks down at me, it's really tall, and it doesn't help my nerves when it grows its limbs. It reaches out and tries to grab my tunic, but Elsie jumps down from the roof. Sadly, the Dancer moves out of the way and the big Gryphon misses and lands on me.

"Dance on this!" Felix glides over and sinks his talons and back claws into the fleshy ball of the Dancer. Elsie gets off of me and I scramble to my feet, shaking my head.

It screeches and the flames extinguish. We all move away as the Dancer starts to flash red and blow up.

"Nice fighting, kid," Elsie ruffles my hair with her talon, messing it up more. "You might work out after all…" she taps her beak thoughtfully.

I raise an eyebrow, work for what?

Her honey-brown eyes gleam as she seems to confirm something. "Hey, Felix, did you tell him the problem with the other Gryphons?" Elsie asks.

"No, I was trying to lead him there after we saved his rock friends," the younger Gryphon looks at me sheepishly.

"Well, you see kid, the other Gryphons are being controlled by those Minotaurs," Elsie explains.

"The dark brown furred Minotaur that we saw earlier was the leader," Felix puts in. "He's the one who controlled them."

"For some reason or another, neither Felix nor I were affected by the control. We suspect it has something to do with having more power than most," Elsie continues.

"But we acted like we were. Elsie came up with the idea that I get out and pretend I was doing patrol of the air for any escapees," Felix says. "That's why the Minotaur earlier didn't hurt me."

'I'm calling the Minotaur Burt,' I think to Navi, who I know is shaking her head.

"Can you help the other Gryphons come back to their senses?" Elsie asks.

'Wow, how many races are going to ask me to help them?' I wonder.

"I have a feeling something really bad is going to happen," Felix says, jumping up to my shoulders. "We think to free them, we'll have to kill the Boss Minotaur."

'Call him Burt, see what happens!' I think.

Navi sighs, "Really Link? Out of all the names in the world, you choose Burt for a Minotaur?"

'Yep,' I nod as Felix laughs so hard he falls off my shoulders. Elsie snickers quietly.

"Okay, so we kill Burt, and the others get freed. Deal?" Elsie gives out her talon. I put my hand in and shake, trying not to wince from the strength of the talon as it crushes my hand.

"Alright, let's go get that hammer!" Felix jumps onto the block and I climb on with Navi sitting on my head.

'You should sleep, I know you stood watch during my sleep,' I tell her.

I smile to myself when I hear her protest, but fall asleep anyway.

The two Gryphons and I rise up and come to another small room.

-Transition!-

This place is starting to get on my nerves. Between the stinking Fire-Keese, statues that spit fire, fire walls and sneaking around Minotaurs, it's gotten to the bottom of my liking list.

Eventually, we come to a room with a big hole in the middle, a switch and a fire hiding a chest on the far side of the room. "Okay, quick plan, you'll stay here, while I fly Elfy over and open the chest," Elsie says to Felix, who nods.

"Okay!" he goes over to the switch as Elsie grabs my shoulders in her talons.

Once we fly over the gap, Felix steps on the switch, making the fire diminish. Not taking any chances, I open the chest quickly and take out the thing inside. It's a hammer, about as long as my arm and with a head the size of a Goron's foot. And it's heavy.

I bite my lower lip as I lift it with both hands, my muscles screaming as I lift the hammer. I walk a few steps and get confused as it becomes lighter, not by much, but I can lift it easier. "I can't believe it, the Megaton Hammer is still here!" Navi exclaims.

'Now we can help these guys and the other Gryphons, along with getting to Darbus,' I smile, putting the hammer in my bag. 'Let's go!'

"Looks like we're in luck, our pride is up there," Elsie looks up at a narrow hole in the roof. She grabs my shoulders again and flies up. "Felix! We're going in!"

"Alright!" the young Gryphon flies up as Elsie throws me up and onto her back. I grab onto her black feathers and hold on tight as Navi hides in my hat. Elsie goes up at a 90% angle and I hug her neck to stay on as I look back, the ground is far below us now.

"Hold on, kid," Elsie's eyes grin as she speeds up. I do as told and gulp as she flies up towards the hole. It looks like it won't fit us.

But Elsie proves me wrong when she folds her wings in, covering me to my displeasure, and squeezes into the hold, gabbing onto the wall with her talons and claws. "This might be a little rough," she says.

'Understatement,' I think as I feel myself being squished between her and the wall.

She starts to climb and I shake my head as feather after feather goes into my mouth. We finally come out and I fall off Elsie's back once we make it to solid ground, coughing.

Felix comes up and lands beside me, "You okay?"

I nod, smiling at his concern, as I stand up. I look around and gasp, about twenty large Gryphons are everywhere, lying in sleep, flying through the air or being bossed around my Minotaurs. I gulp when I see the bull-men, this won't end well…

"Alright, smash the ground there," Elsie points in the middle of five Minotaurs and ten Gryphons. "That's the weakest. The Gryphons can fly away and the Minotaur will fall."

'How will I get there?' I wonder.

Felix seems to read my mind, "Elsie can hide you under her wings, the Minotaur haven't seen you yet so they won't know where you are."

Before I can think anything else, Elsie grabs me and hides me under her wings. I cough and sneeze, shaking my head when she kicks me. "Be quiet!" she snaps and starts walking.

I peek out from some of her feathers to see a Minotaur walk beside her, my heart pumping at the thought of being caught and-

I'm knocked out of my thoughts when Elsie stops and Felix causes a commotion. Quickly, I roll out of her wings and stand, and talk out the hammer, slamming it into the ground. It breaks like glass, basically shattering the stone.

The Minotaurs turn their heads to me and I grin nervously as two of them advance on me. They step down and the ground falls, bringing me with them before Elsie can grab me.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!' I continually think as I roll and hit the walls of the hole.

I eventually come to a stop, but a large piece of rubble falls onto my leg. I suppress a cry of pain when I hear a crack and feel like crying when I see one of the Minotaur coming over to me. It's Burt, the one I named.

"You're the one sneaking around the Temple," he says, grabbing my hair and lifting my head. "I thought I smelled a female around that Gryphon, looks like he thinks you're a male, since no one can lie around a Gryphon, not even a Gryphon itself."

I shiver and try to tug my leg out, but Burt only laughs. "Nice try, but you're trapped," Burt laughs. He takes off my hat and looks at my face. "Hum, such a nice looking thing you are. You'll do nicely…"

My eyes widen and I try to get away from him, fear bubbling in my stomach. He grabs the back of my tunic and keeps me still on the ground, "Now, now. The less you struggle, the less it will hurt."

I feel wetness come into my eyes as I try to free myself. This can't be happening. This isn't happening.

"Stay away from her!" Navi flies out of my hat and zaps Burt with all the magic she can get. 'Link, use the stone now!'

Nodding, fear still running through me at what could had happened, I grab the stone and shrink, my leg coming out from under the rubble. But I'd rather not have seen it, my leg looks like it's broken and it hurts like a *itch.

Despite the pain, I use the rubble to stand up and limp into the shadows, careful not to put too much pressure on it. 'Link,' Navi flies down as I collapse, feeling hot tears run down my face. 'Link,' Navi says softly. I sit up and hug her, trembling and crying.

"It's okay, nothing happened, it's okay," she says, her voice soft and filled with worry. "You're okay."

'H-he almost-' I can't bring myself to think it, I just burrow my head into her shoulder.

"I know, I know."

-Navi's POV-

I feel my own eyes prickle with tears as Link hugs me tightly like I'm her last lifeline. With the things she's done, I forget that she's only seventeen, eighteen at most. She's still so young and she doesn't deserve to have thought of what that monster could have done.

"It'll be okay," I tell her, rubbing her back and putting a hand on her head. "We'll get out of here and everything will be fine. C'mon, we need to get that leg on a split," I start to slowly stand up, bringing Link with me. I put an arm around her shoulder as she puts hers around mine and we start walking, but Link falls, tears still running down her face.

I brush her messy hair out of her sweaty face and pick her up bridle-style, smiling softly as she put her arms around my neck. That experience will haunt her forever. I'm so glad I was able to stop the unthinkable from happening. I fly up and out of the hole, feeling Link calm down as I do. Her crying becomes soft sniffles and she lifts her head, looking around. 'I feel like a five-year-old,' she thinks, rubbing her puffy eyes with the back of her hand.

"There's nothing wrong with crying, especially for what could have happened to you," I sooth.

'I hope Burt starves down there,' she looks down at the bottom of the hole. I shake my head, still wondering where she got Burt of all names from.

We finally make it back up and I see the Gryphons all gone, except for Felix and Elsie. The younger Gryphon flies over and looks at us in concern, "You okay?"

"Yes, just a little shaken," I say. "He'll be fine, but his leg's broken."

"That's not a problem, I can numb the pain for a while until he gets to a proper healer," Elsie says.

I nod, gently putting Link on the ground where she used the Kokiri Stone. She shakes her head as Elsie's honey-brown eyes glow. Link winces for a second before sighing, smiling gratefully at the Gryphon. "Alright, kid, let's go find that dragon to help the Rock-Guy," she says and helps Link up, letting her lean on her side.

I fly into Link's hat and pat her head, 'Everything will be alright.'

'I know.'

-Link's POV-

I smile to myself the entire way to the large door where Darbus went through. Navi has helped me so much. I'm so happy she wanted to come, if she hadn't left the woods-

I shake my head from the thought, no, I can't think about that. It's too frightening.

At least I can't feel my leg hurting, I should be able to fight and kill that dragon for doing this to the Gorons. We come to the door and entre to find a large chamber with a platform in the middle, nine circles of lava on it. Lava surrounds the platform and I can see someone standing in the middle of the platform. It's Darbus.

Elsie moves slightly and I look at her. "We can't stay here, kid. We need to go to our pride before we lose them. I'm sure you'll be fine," she says and she and Felix go back out of the door. I stand and look at the platform. Taking a running start and ignoring the pain in my leg, I jump over the lava and limp to Darbus' side.

"Brother Link," he inclines his head, acknowledging me. "Be careful, I just saw the dragon retreat. But I don't know where it'll show its ugly mug."

I nod, looking around and taking out the hammer. "So you got it, I assume I don't need to ask if you freed my people?" I shake my head. "Thank you. At least they'll be safe."

The chamber rumbles and I turn around, I think I see something swimming in the lava. Suddenly, the dragon emerges from the molten rock, its entire body is red and it has long, fiery hair. A helmet-like thing covers its face as it looks at me through bright red eyes. Darbus turns and starts to run at the dragon as I look it over, why does it seem so familiar?

Suddenly, a flashback plays in my head.

-Flashback-

'Okay, I'll just be gone for a little bit. Rusl and Uli won't know I'm gone,' ten-year-old me thought as I snuck out of Ordon and Faron, going towards Hyrule Field. I smiled to myself as I looked around, the bright moon letting me see during the dark summer night.

I trotted around for a while until coming across a small tunnel. Curious, I crawled into it and followed the tunnel until I came to a cavern, crystals on the walls and the ceiling. Something was glowing at the end of the cavern, with a bright red light. I walked over to it to find an egg, about the same size as me, sitting alone in the hollow of a bolder.

I climbed on top of the bolder, wanting to get a closer look, to find the egg cracking. I watched, transfixed, as the crack grew until it covered the entire egg. The egg burst open, and out came a large lizard of some sort. The lizard was red, with short, fiery hair and a mask-like helmet on its head. It looked up at me and croaked, "Mama."

I could help but smile. 'I'm not your mama, but I'll take care of you,' I thought and patted the lizard's head.

The lizard followed me into Faron Woods, where I would sneak out to at night to play with and feed. He grew fast, until he was the size of a large horse. I was thirteen, taking some meat to feed my friend, when I found Rusl and two royal guards wrestling with him.

"Ma!" Rocky, as I had called him, cried when he saw me.

I ran over, but Rusl kept me back, holding me back as I tried to get to my friend. I looked at Rusl with pleading eyes, but he forced himself to look away. "Link, I know you've been taking care of it the last three years, but he must leave. He'll frighten away all the game and leave us starving."

I looked at Rocky, feeling tears well up in my eyes as he was tied up, looking at me with his glowing red eyes. "Ma…" he weakly said, tears falling down his own, scaly face.

'Rocky…' I thought, gulping the lump in my throat away as he was taken out of the woods.

-End flashback-

I gasp as I come back to reality, Rocky…

I look up at a roar and see him trying to get away from Darbus. It couldn't have been Rocky killing everybody, it couldn't have.

Shaking my head, I run forward, dropping the hammer, and wave my arms around. 'Stop Darbus! Stop!' I shout in my mind, desperately wanting him to hear me.

Rocky backs up to the lava's edge looking at the angry Goron with fear. Before Darbus can take the final blow, I run forward, standing in front of Darbus with my back to Rocky. "Brother?"

'Don't hurt him,' I plead, looking at Rocky over my shoulder. He has his claws over his eyes, trying to not look as he waited for his death. I kneel beside his massive head and put a hand on his nose. He flinches, but when he doesn't feel pain, he slowly moves his claws to peek through them and sees my face.

"Ma?" he whispers quietly so only I can hear.

I nod, blinking away the tears as I pet my old friend's nose. "Brother? What are you doing?"

I tell Navi about how I met Rocky, but she looks skeptical, "He says he watched the dragon hatch. But that's not possible, Link. Volvagia lived and died in this place."

'No, this isn't Volvagia, this is Rocky,' I shake my head, smiling at Rocky as he coos at me.

"Are you sure?"

'Positive, Rocky can't even breathe fire,' I scratch under his chin.

"What does he breathe if he can't breathe fire?" Navi asks.

'Water,' I shrug.

"Come to think of it, this dragon's much smaller than the other one," Darbus says, coming over. Rocky backs away slightly, but I reassure him it's okay.

Then a thought comes to mind, 'Wait, Navi. If this is Rocky, and the dragon Darbus has been fighting this whole time…then where's Volvagia?'

Navi's blue aura dims in realization. "Oh Deku Sprout," she says before a loud, low roar bellows throughout the cavern.

Rocky whimpers and I put my hand on his horn to keep him calm as Darbus cracks his knuckles, "Where is the b*****d?"

He's answered by the cavern wall caving in and a dragon, a lot like Rocky but much bigger, emerges from the darkness, blood red eyes dim. It lands on the platform with us and I feel my jaw drop at his size. He's the one I heard from the castle.

Volvagia soared into the air, letting loose a stream of fire from its mouth, just to show off.

"Ma, I'm scared," Rocky whimpers quietly.

I point to the lava, telling him to get in and hide. With a nod, Rocky jumps onto the lava and disappeared.

I turn to Volvagia and pick up the Megaton Hammer, ready to smash the skull of the bloody dragon that killed those Gorons and tried to put the blame on Rocky.

He charges at Darbus, but I throw a rock at its head and it looks at me, irritated. I make a motion with my hands, clearly saying 'bring it' to the dragon. It roars and charges on me.

I duck under the belly, aiming a blow with the hammer, but Volvagia moves out of the way and comes back around, blowing fire. I put the hammer into the bag and drop to my stomach before the fire can engulf me. Before I can get up, I feel claws wrap around my legs and drag me up, holding me upside-down. I look around and struggle frantically, gulping when I see Volvagia looking me over.

"You're not much of a threat," he growls. "Even the last kid that came here was bigger than you."

He starts tossing me in the air, making the world spin as he continues talking. "But I won't stop having fun with you. It would be too unsatisfying if I just killed you," he says, smirking as he holds me by my foot.

I shake my head from the dizziness and glare at him, 'Didn't anyone tell you not to play with your food?'

His eyes smirk and he throws me into a wall, pinning me with his tail. I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me and try to push the tail off. Suddenly a bolder is thrown at his head and I look around him to see Darbus standing there, holding the Hammer. What? Did…did it fall out of my bag?

Hissing, Volvagia walks over to him, forgetting about me, but I grab his tail before I can fall into the lava. I hold on in a bear hug as he slinks on the platform, his tail hanging over the edge as I try to not fall.

"You are one annoying Goron. I suppose I'll have to get rid of you first," Volvagia says as I start to climb up his tail. I make it to the middle of his long body before he charges at Darbus and hits the Goron to the ground. Before he can get up, Volvagia slams his clawed paw onto Darbus and I wince as I hear rock breaking. Darbus tries to get up, but Volvagia opens his mouth and breathes fire. I look away before the fire makes contact and feel tears prickle my eyes as the smell of burning rock-flesh fills the air.

I dare to look down and my ears fall when I see Darbus looking at the world through dead eyes. How will I tell the Tribe?

Volvagia laughs and turns, but he spots me on his back and I give him a nervous smile as he glares at me. He snatches me off his back and holds me by my torso, slowly squeezing me with his claws. "I was almost disappointed, I thought you had fallen into the lava," he smirks. "I guess my fun with you is over. So long, Hero," he opens his mouth and I feel heat on my face as he flips me upside-down. My eyes grow wide as I see the fire start to form in the back of his throat.

'Navi?' I ask.

'I'm trying!' the fairy is on Volvagia's head, trying to get his attention on her, but to no avail.

Right before the dragon burns me to death, a smaller, but still loud, roar goes through the cavern, shaking the roof. Rocky comes out of the lava, flying towards us. He body slams Volvagia, making the older dragon drop me, and catches me in his paw. He puts me behind his head and I grab his horns as he growls at Volvagia, who has smoke coming out of his nostrils.

"You're not going to hurt my Ma!" Rocky yelled, growling at Volvagia.

The older dragon laughs darkly, "Ma? You just called that little snack 'Ma'?"

"She was the first thing I saw when I hatched! Of course I'll call her Ma!" Rocky growls.

Volvagia just laughs and shakes his head. He opens his mouth and I see him preparing to burn us. I cringe, taking Rocky's hair and holding on, and wait for it to hit.

But Rocky has grown a lot over the last five years. And that includes his fighting skills.

Rocky opens his own mouth wide and I see a blue orb form in his mouth, his eyes glowing an icy blue instead of the usual red. He closes his mouth, tilts his head back (making me hug his neck to stay on) and shoots a torrent of water down Volvagia's throat.

The large dragon chocks as the water goes down his windpipe, his eyes growing wide with panic. He thrashes around, trying to breathe again, when his tail comes around and smacks Rocky in the face, sending him into the wall, and making me crash into it with him. Rocky and me start falling and I hit the ground first, gasping as the wind is knocked out of me. I gasp again when Rocky lands on me, his heavy body squishing me into the ground.

Volvagia flies down and laughs as he looks at us, I try to wiggle out from under Rocky, but without success. I feel something grab my tunic and I grit my teeth as Volvagia picks me up again. "Hello again, I'll make this interesting. Why don't you watch your friend burn?" his eyes glint cruelly as he holds me tightly in his claw, almost crushing my ribcage.

I gulp and struggle to get free as he gets ready to breathe fire. Not thinking, I grab the Master Sword off of my back and stab it into Volvagia's paw, making him roar in pain as he drops me.

I crawl to the Megaton Hammer, my leg hurting again as Elsie's magic wears off, and I struggle to stand up as Navi flies by my ear. "One good blow to the head, and he's dead," she tells me.

Volvagia clenches his claw and narrows his eyes at me before charging. I position my feet, ignoring the pain in my leg, and swing the hammer, making it collide with Volvagia's skull. I hear a loud crack as the hammer makes contact and Volvagia crashes into me as his head bursts open. His body burns me as he starts to turn to ash and I pant once he's gone.

There…now the Goron's are safe…

I smile as I lie there, gasping for breath. I feel something lift up my back until I'm in a sitting position and I look up to see Rocky smiling at me. "Ma," he coos, rubbing his head into my body.

Despite the pain, I hug him and gently rub the scales between his eyes. 'Rocky,' I sigh as a blue light shines on the platform. There's our way out. With Rocky's help and Navi's encouragement, I limp towards the light and feel the pain in my leg leave as we're teleported to the Sacred Realm.

I stand up straight as Darbus comes out of the red circle. He smiles at me, "Well, Link, it looks like I'm the new Sage of Fire. Tell my people I'm proud of them, and tell Dar that his time to rule has come." I nod. "Link, take my power in this medallion," a red medallion falls and I grab it. As everything flashes white, I hear the humor in Darbus' voice as he speaks, "Good luck, Sister."

Gery: Yeah, that's why I thought I would warn you. Like I said before with adding Vaati and Shadow, I just worked and the words came to me…I honestly wasn't thinking that was actually going to happen until they fell into the hole, and if any of you have read Tamera Pierce books, you'll know where I got the Minotaur breeding thing and the gryphons can't lie idea. Oh well! Nothing other mental scarring and a broken leg, and some burns, but ya know. Anyway, next chapter might be a little shorter, but eh, I dunno. But dame! This chapter is long! All this is about fifty pages. FIFTY! This is definitely my longest chapter, the prologue was seven pages, the first chapter was 27, the second chapter was 30 and this one, like I said, is fifty. That's over a hundred pages of this story and we're only on the third chapter! See ya! Don't forget to R&R!


	5. Chapter 4

Gery: Heya! This chapter is shorter than most, but it's basically a filler, so just to warn you.

Nura: Oh joy, filler*sarcasm*

Adam: Well at least nothing really bad will happen. What will happen?

Gery: you gotta read to find out ;). Alright, disclaimer!

Adam: Gery doesn't own anything expect plot and OCs.

Gery: I like waffles!

Chapter 4: Rest

"Why does he almost kill himself all the time?" Nura's voice asks.

"Because he's too stubborn to know when to give up," Alex scowls.

"No, he's just doing what's right. Besides, I don't think he cares as long as the people he cares about are okay," Adam says.

'Can you shut up? I'm trying to sleep,' I think, rolling to my side.

"Looks like the Mute's awake," Alex remarks.

"Link, you okay?" I sit up groggily to see I'm in the Goron City, sitting on a flat, straw covered bolder as a makeshift bed.

'I'll live,' I think as I look around. 'What happened?'

"Well, after we left the Sacred Realm, we were put at the entrance to the crater," Navi explains.

"I got to say, we were freaking out when we saw that dragon carrying you," Nura says. "We thought he did it, but then Navi explained everything."

'Good,' I sigh, at least Rocky wasn't hurt.

"I have a question," Alex gets up with a scowl. Adam looks at me nervously before looking away. What's going on? "Why are you acting as a boy?"

I roll my eyes, 'Took ya long enough.'

"He found out when the dragon said, 'Is my Ma going to be okay?' It was funny watching him rant on and on about how he should have known," Nura laughs.

"But I want to know that too, why are you disguised?" Adam asks.

'Less people question a boy with a sword than a girl with a sword,' I shrug. Of course that's not the full story. Midna actually came up with the ruse, saying that if I disguised myself as a boy, less people would stare at me.

"You're screwed in the head," Alex scoffs.

"C'mon, Gor Coron wants to talk to you," Nura says and I get up, wincing at my injuries.

With Nura's help, I limp to the main Goron City and meet up with Coron and the Elders. "Well, Brother, when we saw that dragon helping you out, we knew what became of Darbus," Gor Coron says. I look at my feet. "Do not blame yourself, there was nothing you could do. Now, I want to thank you for helping us yet again. You are a true Brother to the Goron Tribe. And with Darbus gone, his son can take over the Tribe."

"Who's his son?" Adam asks.

"Darunia," Coron nods to the young Goron talking to his brother.

"But, what about…" Nura trails off as she looks at the older sibling.

"Our Goron ways are different than yours, the second born child to the leader becomes the next new patriarch," Gor Liggs explains. We all nod in understanding.

"We also owe you three our thanks, without you the Goron children might never have found a safe place," Coron says to Adam, Alex and Nura.

"No problem," Nura grins.

After waving goodbye, we head back down the mountain and come to the abandoned Kakariko. At least nothing terrible happened here.

'Alright, let's go to Zora's Domain,' I think, leaning off of Nura and starting to walk, but I fall to the ground in pain.

"Link! You can't push yourself, you're not fully healed!" Navi cries as she flies by my ear.

Adam helps me up as I think, 'But, the Zoras-'

"Will be in more trouble if you go and die," Navi says. "Now stop being stubborn and let's go back to the castle."

"She'll never stop being stubborn," Adam remarks and I hit his shoulder.

-At the Castle-

After telling Zelda what happened, the other three leave and Zelda gives me a stern look. "I know what you're thinking, and no. You can't go help the Zoras in this state."

'Dammit,' I lean my head back on the couch. 'Zelda, they're in trouble!'

"I know that, but what good will it do if you can't even help them?" she asks.

"That's what I said," Navi mutters from my shoulder. "She's just being stubborn, like every one of her ancestors."

"It's final, Link, you're staying here until you're healed."

'Alright, alright. What happened to Rocky?'

"He's hiding in the Crater until you call him," Navi says, still sounding slightly ticked about me being stubborn.

''Kay. So what am I supposed to do? I can't do much and I need to move,' I ask.

"If you must wander around, use those," Zelda points to the sticks I'm using as crunches right now. "You're leg won't heal for about a week."

'Gaaah!' I mind groan. 'Fine, talk to ya later,' I sigh and take the sticks.

(Navi shakes her head as she sits on Link's head. _Why must she be so similar to the Hero of Time?_ she thinks.

'Oh-no,' Link mind-groans. 'Navi, it's the pretty boy.' The fairy looks up to see Sir Edward walking down the corridor towards them. She ducks into Link's hat as the man starts talking.

"You look like you've been to Din's Hell and back," he remarks.

'Not too far off there, Pretty Boy,' Link thinks as she walks passed him, basically ignoring his existence.

Navi turns her body to see Edward smirk, tapping into his thoughts, she hears a few whispery words. All she catches is _soon_, _end_ and _bring_ _back_.

_What on earth…?_ she thinks before looking away, shaking her head from the thought.)

I come to my room and lie on the bed, sighing in annoyance, I don't like bed rest! "Don't tell me you're already bored," Navi says.

'Yep,' I nod shortly.

"Is there a chest set around here?" Navi asks, flying around.

'Yeah, but I suck a chess.'

"I'm making you play anyway."

'Dame.'

I stare at the pieces, 'So, the Queen has more power than the King? Awesome.'

"Yes, now move your piece already!"

'Okay, okay, keep your wings on,' I think to myself as I move a piece, only for it to get taken away by Navi. 'How are you good at this? You lived in a forest.'

"Years of practice."

'No kidding.' _Zap_! 'Gees! Navi, what was that for?' I ask, rubbing my head where she shot a ball of magic at me.

"I was aiming for the window," the fairy lies.

'Sure you were,' I think and move another piece, managing to get one of Navi's Rooks. 'AHA!' I fist pump the air, but my excitement dies down when I see I've only taken one of her pieces and she's taken all of mine except my Queen, a Pawn and my King. 'Aww…'

"Hey Linky!" Adam bursts into the room so fast I fall off my bed in surprise.

'Dammit, Adam!' I glare at him as I get back into the bed.

Ignoring my glare, he keeps talking, "You won't guess what's happening! That Sir Edward dude is hosting a party in gratitude of Zelda agreeing to become an ally to Termina!"

'Really? I thought she said we had too many problems right now,' I think, sitting up in bed more.

"And you know what? Nura's coming soon and she's going to make you-"

"Be a girl!" the Gerudo kicks the door open, bringing a chest in with her.

'What?' I blink at them.

"For this party, you're not going to be Sir Link, you're going to be Lora," Nura grins evilly at me and I gulp.

"But won't people know who she is? She's still a mute and has a broken leg," Navi says, sitting on my head. "And what about her hair and face?"

"You leave all that to me!" Nura gives her a thumbs-up. "Adam, tell everyone to leave Link alone, Navi, can you wait outside and see if anyone is coming?"

"Sure thing," the fairy nods and flies out with Adam.

'Oh no,' I mind-groan.

Half an hour later, I just stare at my reflection with wide eyes. Nura has put a black wig over my hair and tied it back into a braid, forcibly put me into a long, green-blue dress (much, much, _much_ to my displeasure), and made me unbind myself. In other words, I look nothing like I usually do, even with my eyes being the same. (I pushed her away and even tried to run when she came at me with make-up, that's just going too far.)

'I feel weird,' I think, turning around to look at my back, the dress hides my legs and Nura put a more suitable splint onto my broken leg, letting me walk on it with only a little pain. I look at Nura, who's admiring her work.

"Wow, you sure look like a girl when you want to," she muses.

'I didn't want to, though,' I think, irritated.

"I'll go get the others," she starts walking but I shake my head and wave my arms.

'No! I don't want them to see me like this!' I think frantically.

"Hey, they're going to see some-" she's interrupted as Adam comes back.

"Hey guys, turns out it's going to be a masquerade par-" his jaw drops and his eyes grow as large as dinner plates when he sees me. I fidget and tug at the dress sleeve, it reaches to the middle of my upper arm, and grin nervously.

"How does she look?" Nura asks, putting an arm around me.

"Who are you and what have you done to Link?" he blinks, trying to not stare at me but failing.

"Link was called out to deal with some Kargaroks on the field, this is Lora, a traveller who won't be here for long," Nura grins widely.

"I…wow, just wow. It's a bloody Nayru miracle that you got her into a dress without dying," Adam shakes his head, rubbing his eyes.

"I've got to say, I never would have pictured you like this," Navi comments as she flies around my head. "No one could possibly know it's you, and they never will since you'll be wearing a mask."

'Mask?' I ask, looking at her.

"Yes, apparently everyone's going to wear one, an even better way to hide who you are!"

'But, what about me being mute? As far as Hyrule goes, I'm the only mute around here.'

"Exactly, as far as _Hyrule_ goes. You'll be from Holodrum!" Navi smiles.

"'…Where?" Adam, Nura and me ask.

She rolls her eyes, "It's a neighbouring kingdom that you can get to by travelling through a tunnel to the far west of Hyrule Field."

My ears perk up, awesome, another place to look at once this problem is over.

"I have the perfect mask! Be right back!" Nura runs out and Adam, Navi and me are left in an awkward silence.

"So…it's weird seeing you in a dress…and looking like a girl," Adam says eventually.

'It looks weird to me, too,' I nod.

Thankfully Nura comes in, holding her hands behind her back with a smirk on her face. "Turn around, Linky," she nods behind me and I mind-mumble as I turn, annoyed since they're using the nickname more and more.

I feel something go over my face and I look at the mirror and blink, the mask she got has a wolfish face with grey fur and only lets me see my eyes. 'Why a wolf mask?' I look at Nura and she smiles.

"I thought it would suit you, seeing as you turn into a wolf, and who would think the Hero of Twilight's a wolf in the first place? Alright, I'll be right back, I need to get dressed, you too, Adam, and stop gaping at Li-Lora like you've never seen her before," Nura drags Adam from the room as I roll my shoulders back, this is going to be a long night.

I look at myself in the mirror again, I really don't look like myself, hopefully I can pull this off, and I really hope someone I know doesn't come up to me and talk to me. That would be awkward.

I sit on the bed and Navi yells, "Don't sit down like that!" making me jump up in surprise.

'What?' I ask.

"You can't just sit down now that you're in a dress! You might ruin it! When you sit down, you need to sweep it up under you," she says. (Gery: is that right? I dunno, I don't wear dresses.)

'Ok-ay,' I think slowly and do as she says. I lean back on my hands and look around the room as I wait for Nura to come back.

I must have fallen asleep, since I am shaken awake by someone and I sit up, yawning widely. I blink a few times and once I'm more awake, I stare at Nura. She's wearing a dark red dress that goes to her ankles, one arm has a short sleeve that goes to her elbow on her right arm and she has a gold chain with a ruby on it around her neck. Her hair is tied back and up in a bun with some lose strands falling out. She smiles at me, "So? You like?"

"Wow, that's really nice!" Navi says from my head. "I bet no one will know who either of you are."

"Good, that's the idea," Nura winks, putting on a silver and gold mask to cover only around her eyes. "C'mon, it's almost time for it to start," she grabs my hand and pulls me up, helping me limp from the room.

I rub my Triforce hand and freeze, what about this? Without my gloves, I can't hide it! I'm about to tell this to Navi, when we see a group of richly dressed people coming down the hall. I feel my ears drop and I look at the ground as one man stares at me. "Hello, ladies," he walks up to us, I can see a smile in his eyes behind his mask. "On your way to the party?"

'What do you think?' I really wish I can say that to him.

"No, we're going to the stables, that's why we're wearing dresses," Nura says.

The man chuckles as he looks at me, "Who are you, miss?"

I shift from foot-to-foot, not used to all this. "You'll have to excuse my friend, she's from Holodrum and is really shy," Nura explains.

"Rog, you coming?" another man asks the one in front of us.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your breeches on. Bye ladies," he bows before walking off after the group of people.

The Gerudo looks at me with a sly grin, "So, how's your first day of being an actual girl going for you?"

I stick my tongue out at her as we start walking to the Mess Hall. As we walk, I keep tripping over the hem of my dress. "You're strides are too long, you have to shorten them," Navi sighs as she sits on my shoulder.

I look at my feet and start to take smaller steps, but it doesn't help a whole lot. "Thank Nayru this is only for one night," Nura rubs her forehead.

I nod in agreement as we come to the Mess Hall, both our jaws drop. The long tables have been pushed to the sides and are covered in mountains of food, banners of all different colours hang from the ceiling and columns, a band is talking on the steps to the high table, people are all over and wearing fancy clothes and masks, and it's like the entire place transformed.

I tug at the side of my dress, nerves bubbling in my stomach as I look at Nura. "Don't worry, Lora, everything will be fine," the Gerudo smiles and brings me after her. "Now, let's go fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach."

I roll my eyes at my friend as she takes me to the table. I grab a Cucco leg and lift my mask up to eat it, face turned away from other people. "Excuse me," I pull the mask down and turn to see a tall man standing there, he's wearing a black tunic that reaches the middle of his thighs, soft grey dress pants and his black face mask hides everything but his eyes, which are a deep, crimson red, and his golden blonde hair is tied back into a short ponytail. Do I know him?

Snapping out of my thoughts, I step aside for the man to get his food and look down at my left hand, I need to find something to hide the Triforce. With that in mind, I start walking through the crowd, getting bumped into and pushed as I go. 'Dame all these people being taller than me,' I think, mind-grumbling as I find a low banner. I go into the shadows and look around me to see if anyone is looking. They aren't. I quickly take the dagger I hid in my boot (at least Nura let me wear these and not those stupid high-heels), and strip off a small piece of the banner, which is a deep blue, before wrapping it around my left hand, concealing the Triforce.

Now that that's done, what now? I start to wander around when I bump into someone. Looking up, about to apologize, I see ebony black eyes looking at me behind an eye mask. Uh-ho, Pretty Boy.

"Well hello there," he smiles and I suppress the shiver going up and down my spine. "And who might you be?"

I take a piece of paper out of my dress pocket and hold it up. Nura thought it would be good to write down my name, where I'm 'from' and that I won't be staying.

"Lora? That's not a common name around here," he muses.

I nod and walk away quickly, I'll have to avoid Pretty Boy, something doesn't seem right.

When I hear my real name, I look to the side to see Zelda talking to Nura. "Link? He's out in the field, but if you want, you could talk to Lora," Nura smirks as she points at me. I wave to Zelda and stifle a laugh when I see her eyes grow as she comes over.

"I never thought I would see you in a dress," Zelda shakes her head slowly.

I chuckle, 'Neither did I! It's so weird, how do you wear these things all the time? They give you no freedom.'

She just giggles and shakes her head, "It's nice to see your girl side. Even I forget who you are sometimes."

'That's because I'm so convincing as a guy,' I grin. 'So, you accepted Pretty Boy's offer?'

She nods, "I thought about it and decided it might help having them as allies, that way we can have more of an army if this whole thing becomes a battle, or even a war."

'I see the logic, but does he have to stay?'

"I know what you mean, he probably seems familiar to you too, right?" she asks.

'Really familiar, and I've been having these weird dreams ever since he came here, or at least Navi tells me that.'

"I've been keeping an eye on him, it'd be best if you did the same. Well, enjoy all you can, Lora," she smiles before walking off.

'Well at least I'm not alone on that feeling,' I muse as I aimlessly wander around.

When I see Pretty Boy walk up to the band with a cup and fork, I tilt my head to the side, wondering what he's doing. He taps the cup with the fork and gets everyone's attention. "Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming to this short notice party! I would like to thank Princess Zelda for agreeing with me for the alliance, and letting me stay here as my people of my home come here to stay in the city. Some of you may be wondering: why are you wearing masks? Well, I thought it's nice to have mysteries and secrets, it keeps everyone wanting more than they can find, and they strive to cure their curiosity. Now, without further ado, I will let this wonderful band play and we shall all dance! Thank you, again," Pretty Boy bows as the crowd claps, but I feel dread overwhelm me. Dance? I don't know how to dance!

I try to retreat out the door, but the crowds are too big and I can't get passed the richly dressed people. A woman stops to stare at me in surprise and slight disgust, "Dear me, girl, you're dress is so…plain! How in Hyrule could you wear such rags?"

I narrow my eyes at her, wishing I can talk to snap back at her, but I just walk away. Stupid rich snob. No offence Zelly.

Going to one of the long tables, I sit down with a sigh and watch as more and more coupes go to the floor as the band starts a fast song and they dance around eachother happily.

I rest my head in my hand as I put my elbow on the table, just watching the people dance. I spot Nura dancing a boy in a silver tunic and black dress pants wearing a silver eye mask. Why does he seem familiar to me? No…it can't be…

I shake my head and look away to see Shadow snickering as he puts a cricket inside a woman's dress before walking away innocently. I feel a smirk grow on my face when she sees the bug and runs out screaming, which goes unnoticed by everyone. 'That guy's gunna have fun tonight,' I muse as I yawn.

Growing overly bored, I get up and walk around the floor when I find somebody blocking me. I look up and see Pretty Boy smiling down at me, oh joy. "Hello there, Lora, come for a dance?"

I shake my head fast, but he seems to not get the message, as he steps closer, taking my hand. I snatch it away and glare at him, but he still smiles at me creepily and comes closer. "Would you like to dance with me?" he asks again.

"There you are!" we both turn our heads and see the tall man from earlier. "I've been looking for you everywhere!" he says as he comes up.

"And who are you?" Pretty Boy narrows his eyes.

"My name is not important, what is important, is that you're bothering my friend," he nods to me and I smile gratefully at him, even if he can't see it.

"I see, and what is your friend's name?" Pretty Boy asks, raising an eyebrow behind his mask.

"Lora," the man shrugs, hands in his pockets.

Pretty Boy growls under his breath. "Right, well what are you? Lovers or something?" he asks.

My eyes widen for a second when he looks at the man, but I quickly hide my shock when he looks back at me. "Well, not-not exactly," the man says quickly.

"Oh, so you won't mind if I dance with her?"

"Eh, when I say 'not exactly' I mean…yes," he looks me in the eye and I fidget. Oh-no.

"Then I'll just sit back and watch you two dance, now won't I?" Pretty Boy asks and walks away.

The man looks at me and sighs, "Sorry, but I saw you in trouble and I could tell you don't like him."

'What was your first clue?' I wonder.

"Looks like we're…going to have to dance," he shifts on his feet.

I nod slowly, biting my lip and not looking at his face. "C-come on, he's watching," he takes my hand gently and leads me away, off to the side where we won't be as noticeable. With just my luck, the band starts a slow waltz (I think that's what they call it) and I blush heavily as the man puts his hand on my side, being careful not to go any lower.

"So where are you from? I don't think I've seen you around here before," he says quietly.

I pull out the paper and he reads it quickly. "Hum, Holodrum? I visited there once, it's a nice place, can be a little messed up though," he muses with a chuckle. I just nod and I see his eyes frown slightly. "Are you shy? Or are you trying to not talk to me?"

I shake my head and tap my throat. "You're…you're mute?" he asks hesitantly. "I know someone who's mute, they're a knight here, you'd make good friends."

I smile and laugh nervously, I can tell he's talking about me. Luckily he doesn't catch my nerves as the song stops and we part quickly. Looking at the ground, I try to walk away when the man catches my arm, "Um, one more dance? Just to prove to that guy?" he requests.

Sighing, I comply as another slow song starts. He winces as I step on his feet, and I give him an apologetic look. "Aw, it's okay. I've faced worse than a person's feet stepping on my own," he shrugs. Suddenly, I trip over the helm of my dress and fall forward. I get ready to hit the ground, but become surprised when something stops me. Getting back on my feet, I look up to see the man caught me. Blushing even more than before, I try to look away, but he brushes the wig hair out of my face. "You alright?"

I nod fast before looking down, my heart is pounding. Why's it like this? "I see you're a little clumsy," he whispers, making my cheeks flush harder. "That's okay, I've met another person who's just as clumsy."

'Uh-huh,' I think slowly to myself as he tips my face up. Where have I seen those red eyes? They're…actually kinda pretty, a soft, but deep red and I can tell this boy's strong, smart and quick-thinking. But what's that other look in his eye? I've never seen it before.

-Mystery man's POV, before the party-

"The party's tonight, I still can't believe you're making me go," I say to my cousin as she ties my mask on.

"Ah, be quite, I can already tell you'll enjoy yourself. Think of all the court ladies you can meet, and all the hansom devils I can meet," she grins widely at the thought of flirting with many men. I almost feel sorry for them.

"Whatever, let's just go," I sigh and she walks out, back straight and head held high. _You'd think she owned the place_, I think bitterly as I trail behind her, walking into the Mess Hall to see all the decorations.

"Hey, there are some girls you could talk to," my cousin points to the food table and I see a girl with mocha dark skin and bright, orange-red hair tied back into a bun wearing a dark red dress. Beside her is a girl with a green-blue dress and black hair tied into a braid just below her neck. She's turned away from everyone as she eats some Cucco and I note she's eating slightly like a slob.

I walk up behind her and clear my throat, "Excuse me." She turns and looks at me with deep blue eyes and I blink, something in those eyes seem familiar, but it's hard to tell with the wolfish mask on her face. She's really short and slightly scrawny, but I can see some muscle on her arms so it's obvious she works for a living. But my eyes go back to her's, where have I seen those eyes before? I feel like I know them…

She steps aside, maybe a bit too soon, and soon retreats after looking at her hands. She's a strange girl, that's for sure, and do I see a limp in how she walks?

I shake my head as the host of the party, some man named Sir Edward or something, goes up and makes a speech, telling Princess Zelda how grateful he is and that some people from his home are coming to stay until everything is fixed. Wish he knew about our problems, we don't need more people to worry about.

The band starts playing and I notice the girl from earlier sitting at the long tables, head resting in her palm as she puts her elbow on the table. She eyes shift to the other girl I saw her with earlier, who's dancing with a boy with red hair. I look back at her to see her walk away, and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck go up when Sir Edward walks in front of her and starts talking. I can tell from here that he's freaking her out, possibly even scaring her. On some impulse, I walk forward to here one word: Lora. Is that her name? Must be.

I walk up and call out without thinking, "There you are!" both Edward and Lora look at me in surprise as I come up. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"And who are you?" Edward says coldly.

"My name's not important, what is important is that you're bothering my friend," I see her give me a grateful look.

"I see, and what is your friend's name?" Edward asks, raising an eyebrow behind his mask.

"Lora," I shrug, hands in my pockets.

"Right, well what are you? Lovers or something?" he asks with a hint of a growl.

This catches me off guard and I stumble over my words, "Well, not-not exactly."

"Oh, so you won't mind if I dance with her?"

"Eh, when I say 'not exactly' I mean…yes," I sigh in defeat, looking Lora in the eye as I see her fidget with her dress.

"Then I'll just sit back and watch you two dance, now won't I?" Sir Edward asks before walking away grudgingly.

I look at her, sighing, "Sorry, but I saw you in trouble and I could tell you don't like him."

She gives me a look, clearly saying, 'What was your first clue?'

I shift on my feet. "Looks like we're…going to have to dance," I say as she doesn't look at me. I glance out the corner of my eye and see him staring at us, making a shiver run down my spine. "C-come on, he's watching us," I gently take her hand and guide her to a spot where most people won't notice us as the band starts a waltz. I see her face turn red from behind her mask when I put my hand on her side and bring her's to my shoulder, obviously she doesn't dance much, and I can also tell from her clumsy movements.

Wanting to strike up a conversation, I start with an obvious question, "So where are you from? I don't think I've seen you around here before."

She pulls a piece of paper out of her dress pocket and hands it to me, the word 'Holodrum' is messily scribbled onto the paper. Why won't she talk to me? "Hum, Holodrum? I visited there once, it's a nice place, can be a little messed up though," I muse out loud with a small chuckle. She just nods and I frown, "Are you shy? Or are you trying to not talk to me?"

She shakes her head and taps her throat. "You're…you're mute?" I ask slowly. "I know someone who's mute, they're a knight here, you'd make good friends."

Her eyes smile and she laughs softly, did I imagine the nerves in her eye? The song stops and she pulls away, seeming relieved. I understand why, she's a horrible dancer. But something in me seems disappointed that she did, and that part is what makes me grab her arm gently, she looks at me with her eyes and I feel something turn my stomach, but not in an uncomfortable way. "Um, one more dance? Just to prove to that guy?" I ask.

She sighs slightly but doesn't move so I pull her towards me as a slow song starts. I wince when she steps on my feet a few times. She sends me a sorry look but I just smile at her reassuringly. "Aw, it's okay. I've faced worse than a person's feet stepping on my own," I shrug. Suddenly, she trips over the helm of her dress and without thinking, I catch her before she falls. She looks up in surprise before looking down, embarrassed, and her hair falls into her face. I brush the night black hair out of the way, "You alright?"

She nods fast, looking down at her feet. "I see you're a little clumsy," I whisper and see her become redder. "That's okay, I've met another person who's just as clumsy."

She looks up and I can now clearly see her eyes, a deep, clear blue, like the sea, and I can tell what she's like, proud, wild, caring and protective, they're actually very beautiful eyes. But why do they seem familiar? It's like I know this girl, but I know I haven't.

I lower my head slightly and we can't seem the break the gaze we have on each other. But the moment is broken when the song ends, much too soon for me, and Sir Edward walks up the stairs. He turns to the people and smiles, "Well, tonight has been fun, hasn't it? Now, the best part of the night will begin. Everyone, take off the mask of the one you've been dancing with, it's time for the secrets to end."

I see Lora's eyes grow wide and I start to life up her mask, but she pulls away and runs out before I can get much farther than her chin, leaving me standing there and probably looking like an idiot. Who was she…?

-Link's POV-

'Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess!' I think, heart pounding a hundred kilometers a minute, as I run through the halls and to my room.

I hear wings and turn my head to see Navi flying beside me. 'What's wrong?'

'I…was almost…Navi, I was almost reviled! Pretty Boy said that we had to take off the mask of the person we danced with, and I had to get out of there before my secret was shown!' I think as I open and close the door fast, leaning on it as my breathing slowly starts to become even.

"You…you danced with someone? That must have been a sight to see," Navi giggles.

'Navi!' I mind-whine, sliding down the door to my butt.

"I know, I know. I just had to say it. But look at the bright side! No one found out anything!" the fairy says as she sits on my shoulder.

'Yeah, but it was sure a close call,' I think and stand up, going into the bathroom to change back into my normal clothes.

"Link, I can tell you this right now, I think you're going to get more and more close calls now that you've experienced being an actual girl," Navi says from outside the door.

'That's not going to happen, Nav. I'm perfectly fine with being on my own,' I 'say' as I pull on some sleeping pants and shirt and come back into the bedroom, stowing the wig and dress in the veeery back corner of my closet, making sure no one can accidently find it in there.

The moment I close the closet, the door bursts open and I slam my back on the closet, eyes widening in surprise before quickly becoming calm, it's only Nura. She's breathing hard and staring at me with big eyes. She comes over and starts to shake my by the shoulders, quickly making me dizzy. "You know the guy I was dancing with?" she asks.

I nod but her shaking doesn't make it seem like I do. "It was Adam!" she yells, shaking me faster.

She stops and I sway on my feet before falling back agenised the closet, the room spinning. 'That's nice,' I think and stumble over to the bed, falling on it with a quite grunt before shaking my head and making sense of what she said. 'Wait, Adam?' I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes Adam! We-I-I was dancing with one of my best friends! We-we were leaning close and the next thing I knew, I-I was…was…" she takes a few moments to calm herself before coming over and shake my shoulders again. "Oh, Goddess of the Sand, Link! We bloody kissed! Me and Adam, Adam Jonny, kissed!"

'Can't say I saw it coming,' I think as she stops shaking me and I sit back, leaning on my hands and patting the spot next to me. She sits down and sighs as she lies back.

"What am I going to do, Linky? This might ruin our friendship!" Nura groans. Wow, why do people always come to _me_ for advice?

"Give it three days, by then, either you or him will go up to one another and see what's going on between you two," Navi says, good, I would've said something to make it worse.

My Gerudo friend takes in a deep breath before exhaling and sitting up, giving me her famous smirk. Oh-no.

"So, I saw you with that boy, are your girl hormones kicking in yet?" she grins as my face flushes deeply.

'It was the heat of the moment, it's passed and I don't have to think of the guy again,' I think. 'Besides, that guy likes Lora, not Link.'

'Why do you sound slightly sad about that?' Navi asks seriously.

I shake my head and take off the cast Nura made, it will be too un-comfy to wear to bed. ''Night guys,' I think and lift the covers as Nura gets off.

"G'night Link, don't worry, I think good things will come out of this," Nura smiles before leaving.

'I sure hope so,' I think to myself as I close my eyes and sleep takes me over.

Gery: Ta-da! Yay, filler chapter's over! Basically I did it to let Link heal and give her something to be embarrassed about. I know it's pretty obvious who she danced with, but it's fun making the characters know nothing about each other:D

Next chapter, Link and her friends go to Zora's Domain. What did Zant do to the fish-people? Read and find out! See ya!


	6. Chapter 5

To Mihang: Thank you so much! It always makes me smile when someone reviews, and yeah, like I said before, I like having she-Link be mute, it makes for an fun plot. And you are right at guessing who she danced with:).

Gery: I think this is going well, don't you?

Nura: Sure.

Adam: Yeah man!

Alex: Whatever.

Gery:…Meanie. Anyway! The next two chapters are going to be in parts, so make way for thickening plots, plot twists and somepony finds out what kinds of creatures the gryphons, Minotaurs and harpies are!

Alex: Somepony?

Gery: Yep! Disclaimer!

Nura: Gery obviously doesn't own Legend of Zelda, but she does own this plot and any OCs.

Gery: Roll it!

Chapter 5: Looking for the Water Sage Part 1

The next few days pass by and I smile broadly as I take off my cast, stand up and bounce on my foot to make sure it can take my weight. I cheer as only a mute can and fist pump the air, smile growing bigger. Zelda's bell-like laugh rings through the room and I turn to see her standing at my door, arms crossed and a smile on her face too. "Well look at that, you're not on bed rest anymore."

"Gah-ha-ha!" I just jump around, laughing loudly as I start to get hyper.

"And here comes the energy you couldn't use in bed," Zelda shakes her head. "I swear, laughing and yelping are the only sounds you can actually make."

'I don't care! I can use both my legs again! See ya later, I'm gunna go run in the field!' I tell her and run passed her, almost flying down the corridor. I jump out of the way of a passing maid and mind-shout 'Sorry!' as the tray she's carrying crashes on the ground and I keep running.

(Zelda shakes her head slowly, "Sorry about Link."

The maid just rolls her eyes fondly, "That boy just has to keep moving. Most boys his age are like that." The princess nods as she looks down the hall, hearing distant crashes and voices yelling.

_She is defiantly going to be running around a lot today_.)

I dash through the castle quickly and soon come to the field, stretching widely as I take in the air. I take out my Horse Call and Epona gallops over, neighing loudly as she nudges my chest. 'Hey girl,' I rub behind her ear as I mount her. 'We're going on a long run!' I snap the rains and the wind rushes passed me and ruffles my tunic as my loyal horse runs over the field.

By the time it's noon, we've stopped and are resting by a small pool, me leaning back on Epona as my feet dip into the water. I put my hands behind my head and sigh contently as the soft breeze blows through the trees. 'This is much better than being cooped up in my room,' I smile to myself as I decide to take a quick nap.

The world moves slowly, black images move passed me and sounds reach my ears like I'm hearing them from underwater. In the distance, I faintly see a large beast rising out of the earth, roaring to the sky as it makes its escape. Everything rushes to normal pace and I blink as I look around, where am I? I'm in some sort of strange ruin, a temple at the top a hill and in the center of the place is a large hole spiraling into the ground.

'What is this place?' I wonder as I step forward, peering over the edge to see a weird sword-like lock at the bottom of the hole. Curious, I start to head down and come to a stop in front of the sword-lock, I can feel some old, dark power radiating from it. I hear footsteps and turn around, unsheathing my sword and shield, to see a boy standing there, looking at the sword-lock the same way I bet I was. He walks right through me, making both me and him shiver, and continues to walk to the sword-lock.

He takes out a short, blue sword and points it to the sky, a bright blue light goes down the sword before it makes the blade glow. The boy brings the sword down and a short wave of pure light slashes through the air and hits the sword-lock, sending it into the ground. What?

The image shifts and everything goes black. Now I'm walking in an endless void, one column of light the only way I can see. I come to a short stop when I see a pit at my feet, a rushing river at the bottom. I start to step back, but my foot touches air and I pull back, turning to see the river on this side of me too. The ground beneath my feet starts to become smaller and smaller and soon I'm falling towards the river, knowing I'll die if I hit the fast water-

'WAH!' I yelp when I feel something clamp around my hair and tug. I sit up fast to see I'm sitting in the water of the pool with Epona tugging my hair to get me up. 'Sorry, 'Pona,' I stroke the blaze on her forehead and nose as I get up, looking at the water. 'Must have rolled into it in my sleep.' I look up at the sky to see the sun high in the sky and shake my head as I mount Epona.

'Alright, let's go girl,' I think and turn her around. With a snap of the reins, she gallops off and we head back to the castle, my hyper energy dying down as we go. 'That was a weird dream, and who was that guy? Oh well, probably won't affect me,' I shrug the dream off, since it's not the weirdest I've had, (it didn't feel like the vision I had with Hero of Time Link) and keep my eyes ahead as clouds start to drift by.

I come back to the castle and bring Epona to the stables, giving her a sugar cube and some hay before heading back to the Mess Hall to eat. I come in, my memories from the dance playing through my mind, and see Nura and Adam being all cuddly with one another.

"Told you I was right," Navi says, flying over and sitting on my shoulder. "I had a feeling those two would wake up and smell the roses."

'What do you mean?' I ask.

"Nothing, it's just something fairies know," she shrugs as I sit down on the other side of the two.

"So we're going to Zora's Domain now?" Adam asks.

I nod, yawning widely as Zelda comes over. "I see your energy's died down."

"No kidding, you almost ran into me in the courtyard," Nura says.

I just shrug. "Alright, you should get going. And Alex won't be coming with you today, he's run off somewhere," I roll my eyes, not a problem to me. If anything he's colder to me now that he knows I'm a girl. "But someone else will be coming."

"Who?" Nura asks.

"Shadow, apparently Vaati told him something to make him go, but I'm not sure what."

'We probably don't want to know,' I think and stand up with the others.

"Oh, Link," I turn to Zelda as the other two keep walking. "Here, I fixed your bag, the magic must have worn out, making the hammer fall out."

'Okay, thanks, Zelly,' I grin and take the bag before running after the lovebirds.

As we saddle our horses, Shadow shows up, not looking happy. "Why are you coming with us?" Adam asks.

He rolls his eyes, "I'm not telling you."

Before the red head can go on, I whack him over the head, only to get hit on the back of my head by Nura. She grins innocently as I glare at her and I mind-grumble as I get on Epona. 'This is going to be worse, I can tell.'

'Yep,' Navi nods and we head out.

"How are we going to get down?" Adam asks, looking over the bridge at the lake below.

I smirk, 'You'll see. What's worse is getting back up.'

I walk over to the shack and snicker at my friends' and Shadow's faces when they see Falbi. I go up to him and he greets me, "Hi, welcome to Falbi's Flight by Fowl! For twenty Rupees, you can grab a Cucco and possibly even make it to the Isle of Riches!" I hand over a red Rupee for each of us and I jump off with a black feathered Cucco (Gery: I always go for that one in the game, he's different ;) from now on his name is Coal).

After I make it to the front of Lanayru Spring, I turn and see the others come down before looking up the river. How can we get up? All the times I went up, I had to be a wolf and get carried by the giant Twilight/Kargarok. "Well now what?" Shadow asks.

"Well, we could ask Lanayru, she's sure to know something," Navi says and we all shrug before starting to walk into the Spring.

"Mr. Hero and I won't have to," Shadow smirks and I stop to look at him. "You see that?" he walks over to a stump on the land beside the waterfall, it looks like the one I saw in the Forest Temple.

"'Yeah,'" we nod.

"It's called an Entrance, it lets Picori come to Hyrule," he explains.

'Picori?' I wonder. That sounds slightly familiar.

"Who are the Picori?" Nura asks.

"That's not important, what is important is that I can go in and Mr. Hero here can use his stone, then we can go up the river. Have no idea how you two will get up though," he shrugs.

"I'll stay with them and see if we can think of something, maybe Lanayru can help us once you go," Navi says.

'Okay,' I nod and walk after Shadow. 'So how does the stump work?'

"Normally I wouldn't be able to do this without Vaati's help," Shadow says, seeming to read my mind. "But I know a quick spell that will make the stump think I'm a Picori. Anyway, use the stone and we'll find a way up."

'I really hope the Zora's aren't frozen like last time, or worse,' I think as I grip the stone, shaking my head as the lake becomes an ocean. Shadow soon comes up and grabs the back of my tunic, dragging me after him.

"Alright, I already have a plan," he smirks as we head over to a Guay. So we're going to ride it? He lets go of me and shoots the Guay in the head with an arrow. It turns its head to us just as Shadow passes me the bow. The crow-like bird's eyes narrow at me and I blink in confusion before looking down at the bow and back at the bird, eyes going wide.

'Shadow, you're a d-' I'm cut out of my thoughts when the Guay flies at me, making me turn around and run. Unluckily for me, Shadow sticks his foot out and trips me. I fall forward and tuck into a ball, protecting my head as the Guay's shadow covers me.

I peek out between my arms to see the Guay lowering its head to me. It screeches, making my ears ring, and goes to peck me, when I see Shadow jump onto its head and get a reed into its beak, using it as a makeshift rein. "Well, that worked well," he smirks at me once the bird calms down enough, but it's still obviously ticked at being rode on.

I glare up at him as I get to my feet, only to get knocked back down when the bird stomps on the ground beside me. I try to get up again when the Guay picks me up by my tunic and starts to flap its wings. 'Wait, get me on!' I mind yell but we're already in the air, me dangling out of its beak. 'Please don't drop me, please don't drop me,' I force myself to calm down but nervousness still bubbles in my stomach as we head up the river.

"I didn't expect that to work," Shadow yells over the river.

'Wait, he didn't have a plan? Sounds like something I would do,' I muse.

"Nice to see someone not freaking out every time I do something on a whim," he yells, making the Guay go higher. "It gets annoying after a while."

'No kidding,' I roll my eyes.

The flight is smooth for about five more minutes when a strong gust of wind blows us off course. The Guay squawks and I feel air rush passed me as I start to fall towards the water. 'Not good. Not good!' I think as I look around for something to help me, but nothing I see can help me. I gasp when talons wrap around me and pull me up, making my stomach drop uncomfortably.

"'That was weird,'" Shadow and me say/think at the same time.

'Something is defiantly wrong,' I think. I gasp when I'm suddenly thrown in the air and land on the Guay's back facing its tail feathers as I grab on. When my ears twitch I look up to see a Kargrok come out behind a stalactite. 'Sweat Nayru,' my eyes go wide and I tap Shadow's shoulder.

"What?" he asks, and I can tell he turns around, since the Guay goes off course a bit and I hear him curse under his breathe.

The giant lizard-like bird flies at us and I gasp when the Guay shoots forward, making me slide down its back and grab its tail feathers to keep myself from falling. But this is the least of my problems as the Kargrok gains on us quickly, opening its jaws wide. I somehow manage to get back onto the Guay and stand up slowly, making sure I have my footing, before pulling out the Fairy Bow and aim down the beast's throat.

I let the arrow go and it flies straight into the back of the Kargrok's mouth, right above its throat. Caught by surprise, the Kargrok screeches and flies around frantically for a moment before shaking its head and glaring at me, rage deep in its eyes. What did I just do?

Screeching again, it lunges forward and clamps its teeth down on the Guay, barely a centimeter away from my foot. But the crow-bird squawks and thrashes around, trying to get out of the beast's mouth, when the Kargrok shakes its head, making Shadow and me fall off before it eats the Guay. Seeing a rock below us, I close gulp and cringe, getting ready to make impact, when something catches me and surrounds me in darkness.

'Wha?' I think as I slowly lift myself with my arms. I sit on the back of my legs and push on either side of me, trying to get out of whatever's holding me. That's when the thing holding me opens and I fall onto my stomach. Shaking my head, I look up to see a Zora girl looking down at me in wonder, then her other hand, which is holding Shadow.

"Never seen bugs like this before," she says to herself as she drops me onto her other hand beside Shadow before clamping her hand shut, squishing me and my clone together.

"Gew, dude, personal space?" Shadow snaps.

'Not my fault,' I think, trying to move away from him. Then we're dropped into a small bottle, me on the bottom with Shadow sitting on me. 'Why?'

"Great, just perfect! Now we're stuck in here!" Shadow hits the glass.

'Can you get off?' I try to push up, but I can't move.

"Stupid jar, that kid's lucky I can't stab her," Shadow growls.

'You try and I'll stab you,' I think, still trying to get up.

Eventually, he gets the idea and stands up, letting me breathe normally again as I get to my feet. We both look up at the lid and come up with a plan. Without even looking at each other, I get on top of Shadow's shoulders and try to unscrew the lid, but there's a sudden jerk and we're sent down again. I huff in annoyance as we sit up, so much for that plan.

When we stand up again, we look to see another Zora kid come, this time a boy, and he talks to the girl before seeing us in the bottle. "Wow, those a weird bugs."

"I was thinking the same."

"You know what? I have an idea, c'mon!" he grabs the Zora girl's free hand and drags into the water. Instinctively, we hold our breath, but quickly realize that the water can't get us.

"Do I want to know what they're doing?" Shadow asks.

I shake my head, 'Probably not.'

The Zoras are soon swimming up the waterfall and Shadow's banging on the glass, trying to get out. 'It's not gunna work,' I lean on the glass as the Zoras make it to the top of the falls.

"So what's your plan?" the girl asks.

The boy grins, "Throw the bottle over the side!"

I feel my ears drop and look at Shadow with wide eyes, he's looking back with the same expression. "Shit," he mutters before we're sent into the air.

We both scream as we come closer and closer to the water. 'Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap,' I think as the water's only a few meters away.

Suddenly we both gasp when something else catches the bottle, we look up to see the Kargrok is back and scream again as it flies higher and above the rocks. It's only now that I realize something's wrapped around me and my own arms are around something. Turning my head, I find that Shadow and I are hugging each other. "Ah!" we both yelp and fall back. "What the Din's Hell?" Shadow yells as his back hits the glass as I do the same to the other side of the jar. "Why were we just hugging?"

I just shrug, about as freaked out as him. We're knocked back into the problem when the Kargrok shakes the jar, making us hit the sides and each other as we're flung around. 'Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,' I curl myself into a ball to try and protect myself, but it only works for a bit before the Kargrok throws us into the air and clams its teeth around the jar. We come to a dizzy halt and I sit up, the world spinning, to see the glass starting to crack. 'Either we're gunna get eaten or the glass will cut the Kargrok's mouth and it will spit us out.'

Shadow, on the other hand, gets to his feet and pulls out a bomb from his own Never Ending Bag. He lights it a moment before the glass breaks and throws it down the Kargrok's throat as it starts to swallow. I grab onto the dangly thing at the back of the throat and feel Shadow grab my ankle as I see the bomb fall. After a few long seconds of tense silence, the bomb blows up and sends a column of smoke at us, making us cough as the entire Kargrok's mouth is filled with smoke.

'This was your plan?' I wonder as my eyes start to water from the stinging.

A second after this thought, we're both flying through the air and rocket through the waterfall. I slam into the wall behind it first and gasp when Shadow slams into me before we fall a few meters to the ground. The wind is knocked out of us and we both just lie here, trying to regain our breath. 'Well, we're alive, that's all I can ask for,' I muse and sit up once my breathing returns to normal.

"I hope that doesn't happen again anytime soon," Shadow growls as he gets to his feet, wringing out his hat from the water.

I nod in agreement as I get to my own feet, looking around the Domain. Nothing seems out of ordinary, did Zant not come yet?

Apparently not, since I spot him glide down from the roofless top of the Domain. No one even notices him as he summons a strange orb and raises it above his head. I go to grab the stone, but the Domain shakes as he sends the orb at the water. 'Please don't freeze it again,' I silently hope.

He doesn't freeze it, what he does it much, much worse.

It starts as a small ripple, then the ripple grows and starts to rise in the air, taking the water with it. The edges of the water slowly go down as the waterfall stops moving. I feel myself shake as he takes all the water from the Domain into a giant orb and soon the place is empty, Zoras look around in fear, some trying to get out of the deep waterless pool, and some barking orders of what to do.

The ground suddenly trembles and Shadow and me look over to see a group of Zora solders running our way. We're soon running and dodging feet as they almost step on us, clearly not going to look down when their home is in trouble. I get kicked by one of them and sent flying to land on the helmet of another, my belt getting caught on it. Silently cursing, I tug at my belt as I look up at Zant, who disappears into Twilight Particles like the coward he is.

I eventually detach my belt, but I never thought of a plan once I did. I start falling and groan after I hit the ground, thankful that I don't get stepped on. I shakily sit up and wince, grabbing my side to feel a bruise. Farore's Spirit, why do I keep hurting myself? I stand up and rest my hand on the wall, only to pull it away when the rock becomes scolding hot. Wait…what?

I look up again to see a blazing ball of fire floating just above the Domain, making the place become a furnace as the Zoras become sluggish and fall to the ground, their skin becoming dehydrated.

Growing fearful for the fish-people, I look up to see if I can find a way to the top of the Domain, I need to see if everyone's okay. "Hey, Hero," I look over to see a leg and look up at Shadow, who's back to his normal height. "Use the stone already, it'll be easier to climb," he snaps.

Rolling my eyes, I grab the stone and blink as the heat comes more fiercely. I look at Shadow to see his face already red and his hair is slightly more gray than black. "What? This happens in the heat, nothing to worry about," he says and starts walking.

Not completely convinced, I follow and we climb up the rocks, ignoring the heat coming off of them. We eventually come to the top to see the same result, the water dried up and Zoras everywhere, all unable to move. I hesitantly walk into the throne room and I see a tunnel at the very bottom of the pool. I've never seen that before. I look around, but I can't think of anything I can do. Gah, I hate feeling helpless!

"C'mon, you can get angry at yourself later. If we go through the tunnel, we might find a way to help them," Shadow hits me over the head and starts to climb down.

Shaking my head, I go down too, knowing he's probably right, and sighing at myself for thinking this. When we make to bottom of the dried up pool, we walk through the tunnel to see the walls still damp and drips of water drops falling from the roof. A small light of hope brightens inside me as we continue through the darkened tunnel. Thanks to the Twilight, I can now see in the dark, I think it's the side-affect for turning into the wolf. Wow, never thought I would be grateful for the Twilight.

We soon find ourselves at the end of the tunnel, only a small hole for us to go any further. "Someone must have thought to play it safe and cave in the spot. Too bad they caved it in with a rock Entrance," Shadow smirks.

'Wow, how many different Entrances are there?' I wonder as he goes in and I use the stone. We easily make it through the gap and come to a large lake, untouched by Zant's spell. I sigh in relief as I walk in, making my way up the steps of the rock dock-like thing that goes into the water. I walk to the edge and look into the deep water, it looks like it would be big even when I'm normal size.

"See? Maybe we can clear the cave in and get the Zoras here," Shadow says as he comes up beside me. I just smile to myself as I gaze over the lake. But my smile fades when I see something deep in the pool. Oh-no, did Zant bring a monster here? The monster breaks the surface, sending Shadow and I far back with a wave of water, and we sit up to see a giant fish/whale thing blinking its large black eyes at us.

I go to reach my sword hilt, but the giant fish just looks at us, not appearing hostile. "What is _that_?" Shadow asks.

I just shrug and stand up, cautiously walking forward. That's when we hear a voice, "Who are you, why are you so small, and what's happened to the Domain?"

We turn and look up to see a teenage Zora crouching to see us. She has the usual Zora body, but her eyes are silver instead of purple, blue or sea green and her scales are slightly darker. She has three bottles of water on her belt and looks to be fine. "We're nobody important, I used an Entrance, he used the Kokiri Stone and a guy called Zant dried it up," Shadow replies dully.

"How can it dry up? That's never happened before!" the Zora looks back at the caved in wall. "I was coming in here to feed Lord Jabu-Jabu when rocks fell and blocked me off. I've been waiting her for maybe half an hour before I saw you two."

'Jabu-Jabu? Is he the giant fish?' I wonder, looking back at the fish.

"Yeah, that's Lord Jabu-Jabu, the reason that this part of the Domain is full of water would probably be because he uses his energy and magic to make the water. He's the one who creates water for all of Hyrule and if he were to get sick and die, a horrible drought would start," she explains.

"Why were you feeding him? Wouldn't there be fish in the lake?" Shadow asks.

"No, this water needs to be clear as crystal, since it travels over Hyrule. And I was chosen by Queen Rutela to feed him before she died. And I've taken the job very seriously since," she says. "Anyway, my name's Coral, could you help me move the rocks and get the other Zoras in here?"

I nod before thinking, Shadow glares at me and Coral smiles. "Thank you so much! I would hug you if you weren't the size of a fairy!" I rub the back of my head, shrugging it off.

Suddenly we all hear a groan and look up to see Zant once again, and he's standing on top of Jabu-Jabu. "Thanks for that information, Zora, now I can cause the first plague to Hyrule," he laughs crazily before stabbing a glowing sword, much like he did to Stallord, into Jabu's head before leaving. Jabu thrashes around in the water, making large waves splash at us. I feel cool scales wrap around me as Coral picks me and Shadow up so we don't get swept away.

Once he's done thrashing, Jabu-Jabu's eyes glow a menacing white, his grey scales get lined with black and red, and I see his teeth become sharper when he opens his mouth. I feel, and almost see, a gust of wind come from behind us and Coral's hands tense around me and Shadow suddenly, making us both gasp. "Oh-no," the Zora whispers before being moved forward agenised her will. "He's going to eat us!" she yells and tries to run, but can't move and is forced back and into the air. Screaming, we fly into Jabu's mouth and all becomes dark when he clamps his teeth down.

I wake up some time later so find myself covered from head to toe in a thick liquid. Gagging, I stand up and look around to see the Coral on her hands and knees, seeming to be looking for something. Her hand comes over me and knocks me back into the liquid before picking me up. I gasp and sputter when the liquid gets in my mouth and I hear Shadow laugh from Coral's shoulder. "See you're awake, lazy," I glare at him.

"Are you guys okay?" Coral asks. We nod as she puts me back down, "Shadow told me about the Kokiri Stone, and your names once he stopped being stubborn. You can use the stone and we can get out of here faster."

I nod and reach for the stone, but my hand only makes contact with my skin. Nothing's around my neck. Eyes growing wide with panic, I look down and around to see if I can find the stone, but it's nowhere in the liquid. 'Where is it?' I think frantically.

"What's wrong?" Coral asks then she blinks. "No…it didn't…get lost, did it?"

I nod, still looking for it in my pockets. "I know you had it before we came in here, it must have broken off when we were eaten," Shadow growls.

'Eaten? Oh yeah! Jabu swallowed us…wait…that means the Kokiri Stone is somewhere inside him! Oh great,' I run my hand over my face with an annoyed sigh.

"Good job, now what?" Shadow asks as Coral picks me up again and puts me on her other shoulder.

"We'll go find the stone, hopefully we can find it before anything else happens," Coral says and starts walking. "We're also going to have to cure Lord Jabu-Jabu from that curse."

Then the ground, which I assume is Jabu's tongue, moves and I grab onto Coral's scales as best I can so I don't fall off. 'He's not-' I don't get to finish my thought before we're sliding down Jabu's throat, all three of us screaming.

Coral manages to grab hold of some skin just before we can fall into the stomach acids. Looking around, I spot a flap of skin that can possibly resemble a door. Coral must have spot it too, since she takes a dagger out and sighs sadly before digging it into the skin and moving up. I can tell she's feeling horrible about hurting Jabu more than he already is.

She makes it to the 'door' and opens it, a disgusting squishy sound coming out of it once it lets us pass. She crawls in and we find ourselves in a strange hall-like place, who knew this was here? "Good, I heard rumors that Jabu had safety halls and places inside him in case he was sick, that way the doctors could deal with the problem without having to worry."

"That's just weird," Shadow says.

"I know it is, but it's helpful," Coral walks around a corner.

'How will we find the stone? What if it fell into the acids?' I think to myself, looking around in case anything tries to surprise us. That's when I see some bubbles jumping around, making me raise an eyebrow.

"What the heck? What are those?" Shadow asks.

"Shaboms, they sometimes come into the Domain during summer, they're easy to get rid of though," Coral says and kills one with her dagger. "They're not a problem, but we'll have to be on the lookout for any other things, you never know what might happen."

'That's what Midna wouldn't shut up about when I first met her,' I muse.

"So how exactly will we find the stupid stone? For all we know, it could be dissolving in the stomach acids," Shadow says.

"Not possible, there's another pipe that discards uneatable items, like the stone, and Jabu stores them there until doctors come in and take them out, since sometimes rocks and dead animals fall into the water." This girl knows a lot about being inside Jabu, has she been here before or something?

We come to a small 'room' and I see some acid below us. "This isn't right, there's not supposed to be acid around here," Coral mutters, crouching down. She looks over too far and I soon find myself falling off her shoulder. With a gasp I hit the fleshy ground, and yelp when she almost steps on me. 'Hey! I'm here!' I get to my feet and wave my arms, but the Zora seems more worried about Jabu, since she steps over me and keeps running.

Oh Goddess. I rub my forehead and look the way she went in disbelief. Great, now not only am I tiny, I'm tiny and lost inside a giant fish. 'Who hates me up there?' I mind-yell to the roof. 'Hope the others don't find themselves in here too.'

-With the others-

"Thank you for showing us the path," Nura smiles at Fyer after the old hunched man brings her, Adam and Navi to a tunnel that will lead to the Domain.

"Yeah yeah yeah, just make sure next time you come to me with Rupees, or I might not let you get back up to the bridge," he says and walks off.

"What a grouch," Nura mutters, rolling her eyes.

"Do you think Link and Shadow are alright? It didn't look too promising when they flew off on and in the beak of the Guay," Adam says.

"I think they're fine. But let's hurry, we need to make it to the Domain before something happens," with that, the Hyrulian, Gerudo and fairy head through the dark tunnel. Luckily Nura managed to take Link's lantern without the girl knowing, and the trio uses that to navigate through the tunnel.

After a few minutes, something seems to change, the air seems thicker and milder than the two expected, and Navi frowns to herself, something was terribly wrong, she knew for a fact that Zora's Domain is cool, the air filled with moister to keep the Zoras hydrated. Growing worried, she flies ahead and comes out of the tunnel to see the river dried up and a glowing orb further down the way.

"This is not good," Adam shakes his head slowly.

Attentively, they go on and gasp when they see the sight before them. Zoras are everywhere, collapsed on the ground and with no water in sight, a bright ball of fire hangs in the air, blazing intense heat on the home of the Zoras. They go to a Zora solder who's managed to stay on her feet and she looks up, sighing gratefully. "Thank Lord Jabu, someone's come," this makes the three confused, where are Link and Shadow?

"What's going on?" Navi asks as Nura and Adam catch the Zora before she falls.

"We don't know, I only caught a glimpse of the frog-headed man before he disappeared into thin air," she gasps.

'Zant,' the name rings through their minds as the Zora keeps talking.

"He must have dried up the Domain, then set that ball of fire ablaze, me and some of the other solders have been trying to get as many people as we can to the lake of Lord Jabu-Jabu, but a cave in blocked it off and we don't have the strength now that we're out of water."

"Jabu-Jabu?" Adam and Nura whisper, looking at each other.

Navi ignores them and keeps talking to the Zora, "We could help move the rocks, then move the Zoras to the lake."

"You would? Oh thank you! But I'm worried about Coral," she sighs.

"Coral?"

"She's Jabu-Jabu's caretaker, she went into the lake maybe ten minutes before it was blocked off, we were getting ready to clear it twenty minutes later when this happened."

"So she's still with Jabu-Jabu?" Navi asks to make sure.

"Yes, if anything happens to him, she knows what to do. She's the head of the healers for him when he's sick."

"Hey, did anyone else come here? Two boys, look the same, one blonde and wearing a green tunic, the other with black hair and tunic?" Adam asks.

"No, we saw nobody come in here, although we did see a Kargrok attacking a bottle, then it exploded for some reason," the Zora says, sounding confused.

'So they must have still been small when it happened,' Navi thinks. "Alright, c'mon, we need to go help them."

In about ten minutes, they're at the end of the tunnel and moving the rubble out of the way. "Why couldn't Link move them out of the way?" Adam wonders out loud.

"One: she's lazy, two: she's scrawny with only a bit of muscle and three: it was probably just easier to go through," Nura says.

"Right," he mumbles and pushes one of the last few rocks out of the way. They walk out of the tunnel and to the dock-like rock that dips into the water. "Wow, look at the size of this lake!"

"This is where Jabu-Jabu lives, he's most likely in the water. But where are the others?" Navi asks, looking around. She spots something on the ground and flies down, breath getting caught in her throat at what she sees.

The Kokiri Stone.

Why is it here? Where are they? Link's obviously tiny now since the stone's so small, did it break off? Then a rumbling makes the teens fall over and Navi quickly takes flight, eyes growing wide when she sees Lord Jabu-Jabu rise from the depths. But he doesn't look well, his eyes are a dull white, black and red streaks cover his scales, and his teeth aren't very inviting.

"What is that?" Adam yells, scrambling to his feet as he takes out his bow and Nura takes out her twin glaives.

"That's _supposed_ to be Jabu-Jabu," Navi says. "But he must have been cursed."

"Yeah, he was. Look at his head," Nura stares at the black and red sword-like thing in the fish's head. "No doubt Zant did this."

They turn to start the search for their friend, but something stops them. A powerful whirlwind of air is rushing from in front of them, slowly pulling them back. Navi's wings drop, the fairy knowing exactly what's happening. 'Not again,' is all she can think before they're sent flying backwards into Jabu's mouth. 'Ugh, never thought I'd have to be in here again,' she sighs in annoyance as Nura lands on her feet and Adam lands on his back in the saliva.

"Gross! I'm covered in fish spit!" he gags, getting to his feet and wiping the saliva off.

"That's the least of our problems," Nura says, looking around the mouth. "Why do I have a feeling that the others are in here?"

"Because I think they are, and I also think Shadow and Link might be small," Navi says, holding onto the leather strap coming off the stone.

"Well, we should get going, we have no idea what might happen," Nura says and they head off, careful not to trip.

They come to the end of the straight path, right below them is the stomach, daring them to fall into the acids. "Look, there's a door over there!" Navi flies over and the two quickly run in before they can get killed. "Maybe they went down this way?"

"We're about to find out," Adam shrugs. The trio walk down the hall-like aria and clamp their hands over their ears when they hear a loud thumping. "What is that?"

"It sounds like a heart!" Navi yells over the noise and they keep walking before entering a huge chamber. Like Navi said, a large, pink heart pulses quickly, sending blood throughout the body.

"That's not good, his heart's going too fast," Nura mutters.

"It's like he's trying to fight the curse back, he's obviously scared, and he has no real control over himself, there might be a small part in him that's defending himself agenised everything," Adam says.

"Since when have you been a scientist?" Nura teases.

"Since a second ago," Adam grins. "C'mon, we need to find the others."

"No kidding, it's one thing being inside a fish, it's another being inside a fish when you're Navi's size and flightless."

"Smaller than me and flightless, too," the fairy bobs up and down before spotting another 'door'. "Let's go."

-Back to Link-

I still can't believe they haven't noticed I've been gone yet. I know I'm small, but really? This is one of the times I wish I wasn't mute.

Sighing, I come around a bend to find another Shabom coming at me. No! I've been taken into the air by enough of these buggers! I jump to the side but my back hits something, making me tense up. I slowly turn around to see a large paw in front of me. Looking up, I see a brown furred, three headed dog baring its teeth, moving its head close to me. It takes a huge sniff and almost sends me off the ground, but snorts into my face, making me fall back before it puts a heavy paw down on me. All three heads take a turn to sniff me, and I see some differences between the heads.

The one on the right has floppy ears that fall to its muzzle, the brown fur around its nose is lighter and its eyes are a deep, deep brown. The middle head has one floppy ear and one straight ear and it has black circles around its eyes, which are an icy blue. And the head on the left has both ears pointing up, a white stripe going from the middle of its ears to its snout, and one brown eye and one icy blue eye. The first head looks curious, almost happy to see me, the middle head narrows its eyes at me, not completely trusting me but not going to attack, and the last head is growling at me, not trusting me one bit.

'Nice three headed dog,' I think as the one with floppy ears brings its head close to me, making me shrink back into the flesh floor. Hesitantly, I reach up and let the dog head sniff my hand. It wages the tail they all share in approval and nudges the other heads away, letting me get to my feet. The moment I'm standing, something long, wet and stinky goes up the length of my body, covering me in a slimy liquid. I turn around to get a face full dog tongue, getting covered in another coat of dog drool. Normally I wouldn't mind, but when it comes to me being tiny and getting licked by a head of a three headed dog, I do mind.

The second head pushes the first out of the way and narrows its eyes as it pushes me down with its nose, sniffing my head before exhaling into my face. I quickly grab my hat when it starts to rise off my head, but that's the least of my problems when the second dog head takes a huge intake through its nose and I fly off the ground and soon darkness surrounds me.

'Eww!' I try to get myself unstuck from the nose, but the dog head has other plans. It snorts me out, sending me a few meters through the air to slam into the wall and fall to the ground, groaning as not only drool covers me, but dog snot too now. 'Okay, that's enough fun,' I think bitterly as I dizzily get to my feet and take a step forward, only to bump into the paw again and fall back.

I shake my head and see the last head looking down at me, head held high. Apparently it isn't done looking at me yet. Slowly, it lowers its head and takes a small, short sniff, only enough to ruffle my tunic, which I'm grateful for. It looks at the other heads and nods, the other two nod back and the last head looks back at me.

With a quite 'woof', the last head flips me onto my stomach and picks me up by my tunic before placing me on the head of the middle. 'What?' I can only wonder for a second before the beast-dog runs forward, making me grab onto the pointed ear. Okay, to make it less confusing, the right head is now 1, the middle head is 2 and the last is 3. Fix it into the mind, Link!

I still wonder what in Hyrule this thing is. It comes to a chamber and I blink as I see a weird beast with the body and head of a big cat with a mane, a goat coming out of its shoulder and a snake for a tail. That's just messed up. "You've brought something?" the mixed creature's cat head asks in a deep voice as it trots over. It'd be huge even with me normal size.

The dog heads nod, making me fall forward slightly, and the mixed creature looks at me with all its animal heads. "Sorry about Cerberus, love, he gets excited, suspicious and growly when he meets someone new," the goat head apologizes, its voice neither low or high.

"It happensss all the time. Now, tell usss why you are here," the snake head demands in a hissy, no pun intended, raspy voice.

'I'm trying to heal Jabu-Jabu,' I think, but they all just blink at me. 'Oh great.'

The snake head narrows his eyes, "I sssaid, why are you here! I don't like to repeat myssself! Essspecccially to sssomething I can sssnack on!"

I tap my throat quickly, hoping they can get the message. "You cannot speak?" the goat head asks. I nod. "Well, no matter. You're here to heal this fish, right love?"

I nod again, finding it weird how he calls me 'love'.

"In that case, we can help you. But first, I need to ask you something," the cat head says.

'What do I need to do now?' I wonder.

"You sssee, little sssnack, we are not from thisss placcce. We are from a world where we usssed to live peacccefully with other creaturesss called Mythical Monssstersss. Have you met sssome of the othersss? Like gryphonsss and sssuch?" Snake Head tastes the air with his tongue as he speaks.

I nod, so they're called Mythical Monsters?

"Well, we were living happily with our clan when a strange man in red came to us, he was something we've never seen before and we were trying to fight, but he summoned some strange portal and sent us to this lake. He gave us a job, to kill this fish from the inside, but once we came in here, we didn't even try. Cerberus was sent soon afterwards, but we convinced him to not do anything, then the fish became sick only a few hours ago. We believe you can help and we can help you. Little Human, we ask only one thing, we will join your side, if you can send us back home once more," the cat head requests after the explanation.

'Why are so many creatures asking for my help?' I wonder, nodding at the creature. All heads smile at me and Cerberus barks happily, jumping around and making me tumble off his head.

"Now, we can take you through the fish's innards so you won't get as hurt, but we must rest. Night will soon fall and you look tired, love," Goat Head says softly.

"Cerberus, we are setting down for the night," the three headed dog barks and goes into a corner where a make-shift nest has been built out of fur, most likely the mixed creature's mane. Said creature nudges me with its cat head, making me get up and walk over to the nest. The creature lies down in the nest beside Cerberus and I carefully climb in, yelping when Goat Head picks me up and puts me into Cat Head's mane.

Soon, I fall asleep in the soft warm fur.

-With Coral and Shadow-

"I still can't believe I lost him!" Shadow rolls his eyes as Coral says this for the umpteenth time.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, a lot of bad crap happens to the dude," he shrugs nonchalantly.

"I still feel bad," Coral mutters, cursing loudly when she comes to another dead end. "We'll never find the stone or the problem at this rate! Jabu's never been this big inside before!"

"And you know this how?"

"I've already said I take care of him, right? I come inside him when he's badly sick or when something's bothering him and it can't be fixed outside. Usually he shrinks his internal organs so I can find the problem in less than a minute, but with him being cursed like this, he doesn't have that ability and I've never had to use a map."

"Might want to put that on a list if this happens again," Shadow remarks as Coral sighs and sits down, crossing her legs and leaning her head back on the flesh wall.

"I really hope we can fix this. I'll also need to go to the temple behind here so I can get Jabu's next meal."

"What temple?"

"The Temple of Lord Jabu-Jabu is at the bottom of his lake, there's a giant air pocket so non-Zoras can breathe in there and it's where the best fish is, and that's Lord Jabu's main food source is.

Shadow yawns widely out of boredom, why was he even here again? Oh right, so he can get some ingredients for Vaati's spell. _I hope it works, I don't want to have gone through this for nothing,_ he thinks, looking down the 'hall' when he hears talking. _Oh great, it's the Hero's friends._

"Hello?" Coral sits up at the sudden voice, looking to see shadows bouncing off the walls. Grinning, the Zora stands and walks over to see a Hyrulian boy, a Gerudo and a blue fairy. "Oh good, you must be Coral," the fairy says, circling her head.

"How'd you know my name?" she asks.

"We were told by a Zora solder that you were feeing Jabu-Jabu before the tunnel was blocked off. And we see you have Shadow with you, but where's Link?" the fairy asks.

Coral blushes and rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. "Er…well…I sorta…lost your friend earlier when we were looking for his stone…sorry?" she grins when the three all groan.

"How come crap always happens to him?" the boy shakes his head, hand rubbing his temple.

"He's just lucky, I guess," the Gerudo shrugs. "I'm Nura, this is Adam and Navi. Do you know a way out of here?"

"Well...yes and no," Coral says. "There are three ways out of Lord Jabu-Jabu, the obvious one is through the mouth, but that way's out since he can't shrink his organs, the second one is his blow hole, which actually isn't far from here, so we don't need to go into detail about the last one. All we have to do is find your friend, cure Lord Jabu-Jabu, and find our way back here."

"Sounds easy enough, but how will we find this place again?" Nura asks.

"I can make a short term mental map of any place I've been to, once I come to a new place, the old map leaves my memory," Navi explains.

"That outta be helpful," Adam says. "Alright, let's go find Linky!" that's when every single one of the teenagers yawn, reminding them everything they've been through the last day and so. "After we get some sleep, of course."

"Still got the stone?" Nura asks Navi.

"Yeah."

"You have it?" Coral asks.

"Yes, it was on the ground just outside Jabu-Jabu's mouth, he either spit it out or it fell of Link as you were being sucked in," she bobs up and down as they find a chamber that can be used for sleeping. And luckily for Shadow, there is even an Entrance. Smirking, he becomes his shadow self and soon he's normal size, cracking his back contently as the others settle down on the floor.

'I hope Link's alright,' Navi thinks as sleep overcomes her.

-Link's POV-

I wake up to the ground under me moving. Confused, I sit up to find myself nestled in thick orange fur. Oh yeah, I'm inside the giant fish and I'm helping more creatures, at least I know what they're called. Mythical Monsters, they seem pretty real to me.

Shaking my head, I stand up, yawning and stretching, to see the mixed creature and Cerberus still sleeping. I suddenly lose my footing and fall into the nest, making a silence 'oof' when I hit. Blinking the rest of the sleep from my eyes, I sit up and get to my feet quickly, hoping nothing bad happens.

Too bad my luck sucks, eh?

I don't even know how this happens, but now I'm stuck between Cerberus and the mixed creature's bodies, trying my best to break free and get air. I manage to get my head and left arm out and grab Cerberus' fur, pulling to try and get myself out.

Once I get free, I walk forward but fall again as Cerberus wakes up. All three heads yawn right into my face and I blink rapidly to get the wetness out of my eyes. 1 spots me and pants happily as I pick myself up, only to get licked by 1 slowly, getting lifted off the ground for a few seconds before he lets me fall onto my butt, covered in dog saliva again.

'Great,' I roll my eyes and flinch when 1 drools on me, making it worse. 'This is just going too far.'

2 apparently thinks so too, since he snaps at 1 and rolls me out of the nest and licks me off, making me dizzy as he turns me over and covers me in more saliva. I get to my feet to hear a chuckle, I look at the mixed creature with eyes narrowed in annoyance as he enjoys my dismay. "We never did introduce us, did we?" he asks, coming over and towering above me as Snake Head still sleeps and Goat Head slowly wakes up. "We are Chimera, you may call me Lion-" the cat head starts.

"-Goat-" he smiles.

"-and Sssnake," he hisses with a yawn as he wakes. "Ssso, what are we going to do today?"

"We must find Little Human's friends and help it cure this fish," Lion says. I huff at being called an 'it', but I guess humans do it all the time to animals.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Goat says and the Chimera walks towards the door, Snake picking me up on the way. Cerberus bounces around us as we leave and I grab onto Lion's mane, making sure that I won't fall off any time soon.

"Ssso, Little Human, what isss your plan for when you become normal sssizzze?" Snake asks.

"You can't ask it things like that, it can't speak, remember?" Goat says.

"Whatever," Snake rolls his eyes.

"Stop bickering, we'll destroy that bridge when we come to it," Lion snaps as Cerberus slows down to trot beside him. "Now, Little Human, are we still in agreement over what will happen?"

I nod and I see a smile grow in his brown eyes. "Good, we didn't think you weren't, but you can never be sure."

As the two Monsters walk through a small room, I look into my Never Ending Bag out of boredom. My hand finds something soft and I pull to find a blue tunic. 'The Zora Armour? I thought I lost it in the Temple,' I blink in confusion and see a note in the hood. I take it out and see Zelda's handwriting. Apparently, she took the Armour out of my bag before I left, saying she knew I would lose it. Gee, thanks Zelly.

Smiling, I stuff it back in and look around, Shaboms and some Stingers are all around the hallway we're in. The two beasts easily take care of the nuisances and we come to a small room with a weird platform-like thing in the middle. The door behind us gets some gross looking vines on it and locks us into the room. What now?

The platform rumbles and lifts into the air by some force and a large Lizalof jumps out of the hole the platform created, holding two scythes in both of its clawed hands. It screeches and jumps over Chimera's head, slashing forward. A gush of blood spurts out of Goat's neck, dampening his grey fur crimson.

I take out my sword and shield (I got my old one replaced while on bed rest) and run at the Lizalof, getting ready to fight it when Cerberus jumps onto it and bites its shoulder plate. The large lizard hisses and flings Cerberus across the room, the three headed dog whimpers when he hits the wall and falls to the ground.

Lion roars loudly as he spins around, making me fall off their back, and leaps at the Lizalof, slashing his claws across the creature's face. It jumps back, screeching in agony as it holds its bleeding face, but it quickly recovers and narrows its ugly yellow eyes at Chimera. It takes a weird orb out of its shoulder plate and breaks it over its own head, and soon I see nothing but thin air. Where did it go?

I get my answer when I feel something step on me. I gasp and try to wiggle out, but the invisible Lizalof doesn't even notice me. Grunting in annoyance, I take my sword clumsily in my right hand and manage to cut its foot, making it lift off of me. My relief is short lived though, when I feel something long, wet and sticky wrap around me, pinning my arms to my side as it lifts me up. Oh Goddesses, what is with all these tongues?

Luckily I don't end up in the Lizalof's stomach, since Chimera comes over and Snake bites the tongue off, making me fall and get covered in black blood. I land on the ground with a soft thud and look up to see the Lizalof become visible, claws clamped over its jaws as it screams in pain. It glares at Chimera and charges, swiftly cutting off his front paw. Blood erupts from the wound, pushing me back as the wave crashes into me. I get to my feet, slipping slightly on the bloody floor, and stumble over to the Lizalof's tail, I'll need to end this fast.

The tail comes around and hits me in the stomach, and my first instinct is to grab on as it swings around. After getting air back into my lungs, I slowly start to climb the tail, coming to the back and finally make it to the head before it can finish the two Monsters off. I take out my bow, notch on five arrows, and let them go to hit it in the eye. It brings its claw to its eye, narrowly missing knocking me off, and with the distraction I take out the Master Sword and stab down in a Final Blow, the sword going right through its head.

With one last cry, the Lizalof falls forward and I land on Cerberus' 3rd head, sighing as the adrenalin dies down. Cerberus gets up and walks over to Chimera, Lion licking his paw, Goat breathing heavily and Snake hissing, having being cut down the length of his body. 'Are you alright?' I wonder.

"We will be fine, we heal quickly," Lion says, getting to his paws and limping. "It is just a little draw back, we can still go on."

Cerberus nods, making me grab onto 3's ear, and starts to walk onto the platform, which came down once the Lizalof was beaten. I look down at my tunic and cringe in disgust, I'll definitely need a back after this.

1 apparently thinks the same, since he knocks me off of 3's head and starts licking me as I try to sit up, but he doesn't let me. 'Gah-stop-stop it!' I think and start to get away, but he's not done yet and pulls me back with his paw, making my hair stick up once he's done 'bathing' me. I shake my head and take off my hat, wringing out all the saliva and drool before putting it back on and getting picked up by 2's nose and flung onto 3's head. I can't wait to find the stupid stone.

We keep walking and soon I start to hear a fast beating sound. We come into a large chamber where we see Jabu's heart, and it doesn't look good. I don't know anything about giant fishes, but I'm pretty sure hearts aren't supposed to be black with bright red veins. "The curse is starting to affect the insides more. When the heart is fully black, the curse will not be able to be cured, and the fish will become an evil creature working under that man in red," Lion says.

"We must stop that before it happens," Goat says worriedly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let'sss go and take care of thisss curssse," Snake hisses.

"But how will we do it?" Goat asks.

"There," Lion points his head to the other side of the heart chamber. "There is a door, we might be able to destroy the curse from there."

'How do we get over?' I think. My silent question is answered when Cerberus walks to the edge of the hole under the heart and crouches. Eyes growing wide, I get onto my stomach and grab his fur right before he jumps. His front paws make it onto the other edge, but his back paws are dangling in the air. I look back to see a dark abyss of nothing when I feel myself slip off. 'Oh crap!' I think before I'm surrounded by something dark, wet and with a horrible smell.

The thing I'm in moves and once everything stops, the thing around me opens and I see I'm inside 2's mouth before I drop out, more drool falling on my head once I'm on the ground. I do my best to wipe the drool off as Chimera leaps and lands gracefully, wincing when he instinctively puts his paw-missing leg down. "Well, let's go," he says simply and picks me up as he walks over me. He puts me on his back and enters another chamber, but this one has no light and once again my Twilight Sight is the only way I can see.

I kind of wish I couldn't.

A huge snake is coiled inside the chamber, head turned away from us as it sleeps. "What isss a Basssilisssk doing in here?" Snake asks quietly.

"Eating the fish from the inside," Lion replies. "Little Human, do not look this thing in the eye, if you lock eyes with it, it will blind you then kill you with its venom."

'Good to know,' I think with a gulp. I'm already mute, I don't need to be a blind mute.

My ears twitch as the door we used to get in here opens and I turn on Chimera's back to see the others. 'Oh thank Nayru!' I get to my feet. 'Guys, they aren't going to hurt you!'

Navi tells them telepathically as she flies to me, face growing confused when she sees me. 'What happened to you?'

'You don't want to know,' I shake my head. 'Anyway, _please_ tell me you have the stone.'

'Yes I do,' she hands it over and I sigh with a smile before jumping off Chimera's back as he walks forward. I gratefully use the stone and look at the others to see them trying to let their eyes adjust and Shadow staring at the Basilisk with wide eyes.

'Navi, you'll need to tell them to not look at the Basilisk in here in the eyes, or else it'll blind them before eating them.'

"Don't move," Shadow tells the others before Navi can say anything.

"Why not?" Coral asks, sending me an apologetic look, which I shrug off.

"There's a giant as Din's Hell snake and its waking up. I've heard of these and they're called Basilisk, their stare blinds you," he says and we all look at him. He rolls his eyes, "When you have to stick with somebody who's obsessed with books, you tend to learn a lot."

'I agree with you there,' I nod, thinking of Zelda.

We turn back to the giant snake to see Chimera and Cerberus running at it, but the snake turns its head and my friend's and I close our eyes before we're blinded. We hear a loud hissing and I risk opening my eyes to see the snake looking at the other Monsters. He must not affect them, with all their different heads he's probably confused and can't focus on one when the others get in the way.

"We'll need to kill this thing fast, Jabu's heart looks horrible," Nura says.

"Alright, let's go, but we'll have to be careful," Adam tells us without needing to and we run at the snake.

It tastes the air with its tongue and can only glance our way before we all attack it. I stab at his scales, but the sword bounces off the hard skin, Adam shoots it with his bow, but the arrow deflects off and he ducks before he's hit with his own arrow, Nura stabs both her glaives down but gets the same result as me, Shadow throws a bomb at it, but the snake bats it away with its tail and Coral can't do anything since she doesn't have a weapon.

"It's not working!" Navi yells, trying to zap the snake with her magic, but it bounces off and hits me in the face, making me fall back. This is why I hate magic.

"It's scales are too hard, we'll need to attack a soft spot!" Nura yells as she jumps onto the snake's body, Cerberus and Chimera are still trying to find the weak spot, and she runs up.

What happens next is so fast that none of us have time to react. Just as Nura makes it to the snake's head, it wraps its tail around her and before we know it, looks her in the eye. My blood runs cold as I see her amber eyes become slightly faded and her pupil turns a misty grey. No, she's…

"Nura!" Adam yells, I look at him to see absolute fury in his eyes. With an angry cry, he lifts his bow and shoots the snake in the eye before quickly shooting the other. The snake recoils back and drops Nura, hissing in anger. Luckily Adam runs under the Gerudo and catches her before she hits the ground, but she's looking around in sightless panic.

"What happened?" she asks.

"You're…" Adam can't bring himself to say it.

A hiss catches my attention and I look at the snake to see it sticking its tongue out. It hisses and wraps its tongue around me. 'Again?' I yell mentality as it picks me up. It brings me to its eyes and I stare for a few moments, then realize that Adam revenged his lover. The snake is blind. 'You're going to pay for what you did,' I think and kick the snake in the nose.

It lets go of me and I drop to the ground, flipping to land on my feet as I pull out my sword and shield. 'So his weak spot's his nose,' I muse, smirking at the snake that hurt my friends.

"What's going on?" I hear Nura ask as Adam helps her to the side.

"The Basilisk…blinded you, Nura," Adam's voice cracks when he says this. I feel a lump grow in my throat, it's one thing to know something, it's another to say it.

I see a shadow loom over the two and look up to see the snake's tail coming down. Not thinking, I run forward and push them out of the way just before the tail slams into them. Pain erupts over my body and soon darkness takes me over.

-Third POV-

"Link!" Navi yells, trying her best to get the snake off of the Hylian. _Oh no, this is getting from bad to worse!_

"We need to end this, take those two to the side and we'll deal with this!" Shadow snaps as the tail lifts of Link. Coral picks her up from under her arms and drags her over to Nura, who's flexing her hand in front of her face.

Coral quickly gets to work and brings out a potion, giving it to Link and making her swallow it. She shivers even in unconsciousness and turns over, groaning. "You're going to have to help them, you know," Nura says, knowing Coral's still there. "They need anyone who is able to help."

"I-I can't fight though," Coral whispers, looking back at the fight to see the mixed creature get hit into a wall.

"You already know the weak spot, right?"

"Yeah, the nose."

"Then attack that. Do it with your fists if you have to, but just kill it quickly before it can hurt anyone else," Nura turns her head to Link when she groans again in her sleep.

Taking a deep breath, the Zora stands up and walks over to the battle on cat quite feet. She trots up to the snake and grabs its scales, easily climbing it since she's climbed Jabu-Jabu so many times, and makes it to its head. She looks at the fins on her arms, can she really do this? One look at the hurt and tired people convinced the scared Zora to fight. She summons her battle fins and stabs her arm back, making the fin-blade go through the snake's nose. It hisses loudly and shakes its head, but this only makes the stab wound worse as the fin-blade is dragged across the nose.

Coral takes the fin out and jumps off the snake before it falls, letting the others in on killing the beast. The last blow is from the three headed dog, it jumps forward and bites the snake with all three heads before shaking its head and ripping the nose apart like a rag doll.

The snake slowly stops moving and the teens let out a sigh. Finally, the thing's killed.

Link groans again as she sits up, head throbbing and her mouth tasting bitter. 'Oh joy, potion,' she mind-mutters and shakes her head to see Nura.

The Gerudo grins at her, somehow knowing she's awake. "Hey Linky, you know what? Now we're both disabled," she says with humour in her voice.

Link shakes her head with a small laugh, only Nura can be blinded and make a joke out of it.

Slowly, the Hylian helps Nura get to her feet and the two lean on each other for support, but Link forcibly makes herself stand straight, not wanting to rely on her friend to help her walk, when Nura obviously needed it more. "What will happen now?" Nura asks.

'Why do people always ask me these questions?' I wonder.

"Now we can cure Jabu of his curse, the sword thing is right here," Adam says, looking up. I follow his gaze to see the tip of the sword poking through.

"I think I can get it," Coral says, crossing her fins and clenching her hands before quickly parting her arms, making two fin boomerangs fly up and hit the curse. It breaks easily and the room lightens up with a groan escaping all around them.

Suddenly the room shifts and moves, making all of them but Coral freak out slightly, and when it stops, they walk out the door to find themselves in the mouth of Jabu-Jabu, which is open with the teeth not as sharp. Chimera and Cerberus are the first to run out, since they've been here the longest, and they slowly follow them as Link passes Nura off to Adam.

"You alright?" he asks.

"Other than being blind, I'm good," Nura grins at his direction.

Once they come out of the mouth, they see some Zoras sitting around and moving in and out of the tunnel. The solder Nura, Adam and Navi talked to earlier walks up with a large smile, "We grew worried when we didn't see you around here, but it looks like you're safe after all. We managed to get all the Zoras in here, but the Domain is still heated up."

"How will we break this curse?" Navi wonders.

"We'll most likely have to go to the Temple of Lord Jabu-Jabu," Coral says. "It's at the bottom of this lake and we might be able to find a way to break the heat in there. But none of you will be able to come, Jabu-Jabu needs to recover so he can't take you there."

Link puts up a hand, 'I have the Zora Armour, I can go with you.'

Navi tells Coral this and the Zora lets out a sigh. "Good, I didn't want to go alone."

"I'll be coming too," Navi says.

"Okay, we will rest here tonight and go to the Temple in the morning."

'And along with helping the Zoras, I hope we find the Sage,' Link thinks as she and her friends go into a dry-ish cave. After setting up a fire, they all settle down and let sleep take them.

Gery: Man, I wrote this entire thing in about a day! Anyway! Next chapter Link and Coral go to the Temple of Lord Jabu-Jabu, something which I created, thank you very much. It might not be very well described, since I'm only okay at that, so sorry if it's lacking in anything. Oh! And anyone who guesses who the 'man in red' is gets a virtual cookie! See ya!


	7. Chapter 6

To Linkolas: Oh my Goddess, thank you! And you're right, it is who you're thinking of. And the guy in red? I guess you will have to wait and see:)

To Selith: To your first thing, I have watched Zelda UO and I love it! "Dive! Aw crap a rock!" Diggs is defiantly my favorite! I'm so happy Whookos is starting it up again!

To Guest: Thanks!

To Selith again: 1: You'll have to find out:D! 2: I will definitely think about it! Put the description in your review and I'll take a look at it! and 3: I like Zelda too! (Obviously :))

To Lady Fai: Yeah, you're right, and Link being short is something I always picture, along with having messy hair and a temper. Yeah, I never planned for that, I just went along with my own story to see what I could experiment with, it's actually really fun. And you're the first person to guess who he is! You get a virtual cookie! (If you like cookies) and I might think about that, thanks for the thought!

To Selith again again: I can easily put you in my story! Like I said earlier, just put the description in a review and I can put him in. And you're right, it is one of those people you guessed! For that you get the victual cookie of virtual cookieness!

To Nicszilla: None of them;) You get a virtual cookie for trying though.

Nura: I hate you.

Gery: Aw, you know you love me!

Nura: You made me blind!

Gery: You still love me :D.

Nura: *grumble, grumble*

Gery: Alright, so here is Part 2 of the search for the Sage of Water! Make way for more fun, even more thickening plots, more Mythical Monsters to meet, and they're might just be some lovey-doveyness;)! Disclaimer!

Adam: Gery doesn't own Legend of Zelda, she only owns the plot and OCs, and being the reason my girlfriend is blind!

Gery: You still love me!

Chapter 6: Looking for the Water Sage Part 2

-Link's POV-

The next morning, the first thing I do is go to the lake and take a much needed bath. 'I'm not going to be small any time soon,' I think as I look at the stone before putting it into my bag, just to be safe.

I hear footsteps and look over my shoulder to see a familiar boy standing on the shore, not seeming to have noticed me yet. Smirking, I dunk into the water and swim to the shore quietly before coming around and sneaking behind him. Before I can tap his shoulder though, he turns and puts a knife to my neck. Seem familiar?

"Oh, it's you," he lowers his knife and I roll my eyes.

'Nice to see you, too,' I think sarcastically. 'Why would you be here? I thought you didn't care about others.'

"I don't," he scoffs, but doesn't give a reason why he's here.

'Can you tell me yet why you hear my thoughts? It's weird,' I put my hands in my pockets.

"Like I said before, I don't know why I can read your thoughts. So, anyone else find out your secret?" he asks, leaning on the pillar to Jabu-Jabu's dock.

'Only Alex, but the coal-headed idiot should have known for a while,' I think. Jabu groans and I walk over to him, crouching down to pet below his eye.

After a few moments of silence, Sheik speaks up, "I'm just curious, what are you afraid of?"

I look at him, wondering why he would ask that, it's a really personal thing, and I don't know if I fully trust the Sheikah. 'I…can't tell you,' I say, straitening and not fully looking him in the eye. For some reason something in me _wants_ to trust him, but I know I can't. I barely know him.

"Why can't you tell me?" he asks, looking generally curious.

'Sheik…I don't know if I can trust you yet,' I admit, biting my lower lip. 'With everything going on, me looking for the Sages, finding Zant's alive, Nura becoming blind, my mind's starting to get messed up enough for me to have really bazar dreams.'

He crosses arms, looking me over. "Why can't you trust me?"

What is this guy's deal? 'I just can't,' I shake my head, wrapping my arms around me as a cold wind blows over the lake.

"That's not an answer," he says as he walks up. I look up at him, frowning.

'Do you need an answer?' I ask. 'And what about you? If I asked what you were afraid of, would you tell me?'

He blinks for a few moments, I almost think he's not gunna tell me before taking in a breath, "Losing someone close…" he finally says.

I feel my ears drop slightly and tilt my head to the side a bit, blinking. 'I see…so you…trust me with something like that?' I look down at my boots.

"Yeah, I lost my entire family except for my cousin. If I lost her…I don't know what I'd do," he sighs, looking away.

I glance at him through my bangs and close my eyes. 'Magic.'

His head snaps to me, "What?"

'I'm afraid of magic. I keep it to myself, and the only people who know are Zelda and Midna, but I'm absolutely terrified of magic. It's what took my parents from me, it's what started the Twilight and it caused so much pain for everyone, it's what almost killed both Midna and Zelda, and so far it's caused me more harm than good,' I explain, not fully looking up.

"The Kokiri Stone uses magic."

'The first time I used it I threw up later when Navi wasn't looking, and I always shiver when I do use it. When I was fighting with Vaati the first time we met, my mind kept racing and all I could do was run.'

"Magic," he shakes his head slowly. "So, the great 'Hero' of Twilight is afraid of magic?"

'I never said I was grate, Sheiky-Boy,' I mind-grumble. 'But what do you care? And why did you suddenly show up and ask me this anyway?'

"It's been on my mind since we had that argument over whether to help the Gorons or not. You obviously weren't afraid to sacrifice yourself, and I got to thinking about what did scare you. Now I know magic does."

I just shrug, finding it weird that, even after telling him I don't trust him completely, I told him one of my darkest secrets, he already knows the other. Another strong, cold gust of wind makes me shiver, since my tunic isn't very thick, and I rub my arms to keep warm. "You're cold," Sheik states as he walks closer.

'I am not!' I shake my head stubbornly.

"You're such a horrible liar," I see him smile under his shawl as he steps closer, only a meter away from me. "You're ears twitch and you blink too much when you lie."

My shoulders slump slightly, 'I'm fine, I don't need to be warmed up.'

He rolls his eyes and I catch a familiar look, but it's gone as fast as I saw it. Maybe I just imagined?

Then it starts to rain, soaking me to the bone. My ears drop fully and I glare at nothing, why?

"You look like you need to be warmed to me," his eyes smirk.

I shake my head, taking a step back, 'No I don't-!' I'm cut out of the thought when something pushes me forward, I get ready to fall, but I feel arms wrap around me and catch me. Feeling a faint blush rise on my cheeks, I look up to see Sheik looking at me with shocked eyes, a blush on his own face. I look over my shoulder and glare at Jabu-Jabu, who had pushed me forward.

I straiten and pull the rim of my tunic down and adjust my hat over my head. 'I gotta go,' I think and walk passed the still red Sheikah, wondering why my heart is racing so fast. It's now I realize that his arms were rather warm…

I shake my head fiercely from the thought. 'No Link! You're not supposed to think like that!' I yell at myself. 'He's just some boy!' but for some reason, my mind doesn't feel convinced. Stupid mind.

I come back into the cave and reset the fire, blowing on the embers to start the flame up again. I look at the others and sigh sadly when I see Nura leaning on Adam, his arm wrapped protectively around her. I hope they'll be alright. I have no doubt that they're going to go back to the castle with Shadow in the morning. I hear wings flutter and glance at Navi as she sits on my shoulder, warming the spot she's on. 'Where were you?' she asks.

'Just out for a short bath, I'm glad I got to do it before the rain came,' I smile with a yawn. 'I should get some more sleep, I don't know what might happen tomorrow.'

-The next morning-

I'm woken to three things licking my face. Opening my eyes, I let out a tired sigh when I see Cerberus standing over me, his stinky breath not a very nice wake-up call. 'Hey boy,' I think and pet him behind his three necks, making his tail wag. 'Alright, get off,' I push his chest but he doesn't get the message, instead he lies down on top of me, and considering he's about the size of a small Bulbin... 'Navi,' I mind whine when I see her fly out of my hat.

She laughs when she sees me and I glare at her as she tries, and fails, to quiet down. "Heh-that's sort of cute-teh-heh," she giggles.

I huff, blowing my bangs away from my eyes, and look at Cerberus for 1 to lick my face. At least it's better now that I'm normal again. I shiver when his tongue goes over my ear and I look at Navi again. 'Can you please get him off?' I ask.

"Alright, alright, Cerberus, come on boy!" the fairy calls him and all his heads perk up before getting up, stepping on my gut in the process, and sits down in front of Navi, wagging his tail in my face. I sit up and give her a grateful smile before getting to my feet and cracking my back.

We all leave the cave to see the sky clear and blue, making the water's surface gleam in the sun. 'Wow, this place is beautiful,' I smile to myself as I wade into the water to my waste. I look at the platform Sheik and me were on last night and I look away quickly, getting confused with the bubbly feeling in my stomach and my racing heart when I think of him.

It's going about as fast as when I danced with that guy-

No! I will not think about that!

Luckily Navi doesn't seem to notice my inner problems as I come out of the water, Cerberus splashing the liquid down my back. I just ignore it and lie down on the sandy shore, arms behind my head as I close my eyes.

Unwillingly, I slip into the dream world again.

I'm floating in air before it softly lets me land on my feet, a small dust cloud forming when I land. I start walking through the blurry place and see a man in the distance. But he doesn't look much like a man. He has white skin with grey diamonds going up his legs, arms and torso, white lips and hair and onyx black eyes. He grins at me as he flips a bright red cape over his arm, letting me see the curved black sword on his waste.

"You won't escape me again, Child," he says in a deathly cold voice. It sounds slightly familiar too. Before I can think, he runs at me and swings his sword in an upward diagonal strike, cutting across my torso and making my skin burn as I fall to my knees-

'Ga-ha!' I sit up fast, my breathing heavy as I look around. The sun has risen higher in the sky and I guess it's about midmorning. 'Who was that man?' I wonder.

"Are you alright, Link?" Navi asks as Cerberus whines beside me in concern.

I nod, rising to my feet as I see the fire's glow die in the cave. 'They're going,' I think and walk in to see Adam taking care of the fire. He looks up at me and smiles half-heartedly, eyes shifting to Nura, flash with worry, and look down.

I go over to the Gerudo, who's fingering her twin glaives. "Hey Link," she greets, smiling up in my direction. "You know what's funny? I might have lost my sight, but I used my hearing more than anything, and I can tell where everyone is and who everyone is by how they walk. Adam walks loudly, tall and upright and slowly. Shadow has quitter feet, takes long strides, and walks proudly and smugly. And you have the funniest walk I've heard so far," she laughs at this and I raise an eyebrow.

With a chuckle, she keeps talking, "You're footsteps are more like trotting, quiet like a cat, quick and cautious. It's funny hearing you trot beside Adam and Shadow just to keep up with them."

I huff, rolling my eyes at my friend as I help her to her feet. She looks at me with her now sightless eyes but the grin never leaves them. "Link, I know I'll need to relearn to fight, but no matter what happens, I'll stick with you and help if we do end up in a battle," she says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

A smile breaks out on my face and I put my own hand on her shoulder. 'I know,' I nod, I never thought she wouldn't still fight.

"Alright, so we're going to go back to the castle and explain to Zelda what's going on," Adam says while Shadow packs the rest of the stuff. "Hope you can find the Water Sage."

'Yeah me too,' I think as he picks up the small bag he brought and helps Nura walk out of the cave.

I walk with them and Coral comes out of the water, grinning at me. "Hi Link, ready?"

I shake my head quickly before going behind a rock to change into the Zora Armour. Once I put the weird fish skull over my head, I walk out and grin at Coral's shocked face. "Wow, so you're the person who Prince Ralis said his mom gave that to. Never thought the Hero of Hyrule was so…" she trails off, looking me up and down with a small blush.

'Short?' I put my hand down and out, she smiles sheepishly and nods.

I just smile and shrug it off as we head towards the water. With one last look at my friends, I dive in and the cloth around my neck moves up to my mouth. Only thing I like magic for.

Still find it weird that I told Sheik my fear…and why do I keep thinking about him?

Shaking my head, I follow Coral to the bottom of the lake, which gets darker and darker as we progress. Soon absolutely no light is seen from the top and I feel the bitter cold reach through my tunic and touch my skin, making me shiver slightly and slow down as my body tries to heat myself up.

'Are you okay, Link?' Navi asks, holding onto my hat to stay with me. I nod slowly, but I start to feel slightly drowsy as the cold water and my body fight each other. I feel cold, scaly hands grab my wrist and drag me down further, and I faintly see Coral in front of me before we swim up through a stone archway and into an air pocket.

'Oh thank Farore's Spirit!' I gasp and pull the cloth down my face, looking around to find ourselves in the middle of a large chamber with sand covering the ground, doors leading off to the East, West and South-East directions, two of which are locked, and a weird plaque on the wall. Curious, I climb out of the water and see it's a diagram with a small wave of water reaching the middle red line and notes underneath it.

"Oh my Goddess, I didn't think I'd ever see this again," Navi mutters and flies close to the plaque. "This song will raise the water at this spot, this is just like in the old Water Temple."

I look at the fairy and turn to Coral, who's looking around the room with wide eyes. "This isn't right, the doors aren't supposed to be locked, there are supposed to be fish swimming in these pools and I've never seen that before!" I look up and get into a fighting stance when I see a creature with a body of a cat and the head of a woman.

"Well well well, a nice snack as come to play," she lands on the ground gracefully, purring loudly as she circles around us, making Coral hide behind me and grab onto my tunic. The creature, which I assume is a Mythical Monster, brings its large head down to us and I narrow my eyes as she looks us over. "Hum, you are barely a mouthful," she purrs to me before spotting Coral behind me, but it's really not that hard, the Zora's taller than me by a head and shoulders. "Ooh, you look much more appetizing than those skimpy fish from this place," she moves forward, but I stand protectively in front of Coral.

"Humph, out of my way," the Monster bats me aside with her paw before stepping on me with her back paw, making sure I can't move. I hear Coral whimper and look at the giant cat/woman in fear as she leans in closer, opening her mouth.

'No way, ugly!' I think and manage to get out from under her foot before shooting her in the side of the head. She snaps her head to me and I lure her away from Coral, but my plan doesn't work well when she pushes me into the wall with her paw. But luckily Coral dives into the water and out of sight.

The cat-woman seems to realize this, since she looks around and hisses. "You'd better be grateful I don't eat something so small," she growls, leaps off of me and climbs up the roof and into the hole on the top.

Once her tail disappears, I walk to the water's edge and wave for Coral to come out. The Zora slowly breaks the surface and looks around, sighing in relief once she sees the cat-woman gone. "What was that?" she asks.

I just shrug as I head towards the unlocked door. No doubt we'll have to fight that thing eventually, and maybe she's the one keeping the ball of fire in the Domain. Only one way to find out. We come through the door to see a fast moving river with white rapids slamming on the walls and rocks. I grimace, no way can I swim in that.

"Alright, let's go!" Coral says with a surprising perkiness in her voice.

'What?' I stare at her as she smiles at me.

"Don't worry, I can easily swim through these rapids! And it's not much more difficult with you holding onto my belt! C'mon," she waves for me.

Gulping, I jump into the water and get pushed down a bit before she grabs me and makes me hold onto her belt. She dives under the water and soon I'm forced to close my eyes at the speed we're going.

"Wow, this is amazing! This is the fastest current I've ever swam in!" Coral laughs happily as I grip her belt tighter.

'Isn't that nice?' I think sarcastically and try to open my eyes, but I can't see anything but bubbles. We finally come to a stop and I bump into her back before we climb out. I take the mask off and gasp at the room we're in.

Well, it's not really a room, more like a cavern. Glowing stones make light on the walls and roof, shining in all sorts of different colours. A smaller, steadier river runs down the cavern and leads into darkness, but the walls of this place are just amazing. I walk up to one and see a cave drawing of a squid-like thing with one eye and tentacles for hair.

My vision becomes fuzzy as something runs through my mind. I only catch a few glimpses of what I'm seeing, but it's enough. I see a creature, much like the one drawn here, and it's battling someone on a destroyed ship it looks like. A storm is raging and lightning strikes across the sky, making the only light on the scene as buckets and buckets of rain pours down.

I snap out of the daze and find myself in darkness, none of the glowing stones around to help me. What? Was I walking while having that? It didn't feel like a vision, it felt more like…a memory…

"Link!" Navi flies in front of my face and I jump. "Don't go wandering off! Look, you almost fell," she moves out of the way and I look down at my feet, water rushing quickly below me.

Nodding slowly, I start to back up but freeze when I see the shadow something tall and skinny. I hear a moan and gulp as I take out my sword and shield, what's here? "Oh-no, a Gibdo," Navi's aura turns yellow as a Redead like creature wrapped in bandages comes into her circle of light. "Run…Link, run!" she yells but the Gibdo looks up and locks its eyeless sockets with mine, making me paralyzed.

Unlike the Redead Knights I fought in Arbiter's Grounds, the Gibdo slowly moves towards me and lunges forward, trying to grab me but I gain movement of my legs and jump out of the way in time for it to fall into the waters below. 'Okay, that's enough time spent here,' I think and back up to bump into something else.

I gulp and slowly turn my head to see a Redead Knight and an army of Redeads and Gibdo slowly coming at me. I try to calm my breathing and take out my bow, quickly tying the bombs on, but not quickly enough.

The Redead Knight screeches, making me cringe violently as the other Undead creatures come within two meters of me. I'm able to lift my bow and shoot one arrow before the Knight slams its sword down on the ground at my feet, making it crumble under me. I wave my arms around like a windmill, trying to regain footing, but nothing works and soon I'm falling.

'How did this even happen?' I think, grabbing at the walls in panic. Suddenly my hand catches a small piece of rock jutting out, and I hear a sickening pop in my shoulder as I come to a fast halt. I moan in pain and put my other hand on my shoulder, that's not good. Ignoring the pain, I move my free hand around and find a small hole it can fit in. Sighing in relief, I let myself hang for a few minutes before looking up.

What I see is enough to take away a good ten years of my life.

A Gibdo is looking right into my face, mouth gaping open and it freezes me. But this one is obviously smarter than most. Instead of biting me or doing whatever it was gunna do, it stands up and kicks me in the face, making me lose my grip and start falling again. "LINK!" I hear Navi scream before I hit the water.

Luckily the mouth mask slips on, but unluckily I find myself unable to move at all from the current. I keep trying to grab any rocks, but they're too slippery to get a hand hold and I'm pushed further and further away from the other two. Suddenly I feel something strike the back of my head and everything becomes dark.

The next moment I wake up, I feel something wrapped around me but I don't take that into account when I sit up and cough up any water that managed to get into my lungs. I feel a hand rub my back and look over my shoulder to see red eyes looking at me. "Will you stop trying to get yourself killed?" Sheik asks, glaring at me but I don't see any real heat behind it.

I huff and turn away, about to get up when something holds me back. I look down to see his arms wrapped around my middle. Blushing slightly, I narrow my eyes back at him, not even needing to tell him to let me go. With a quiet sigh, almost one of disappointment for some reason, he lets go and I stand up, looking around to find myself in a small cave beside the river.

Suddenly my head throbs, and I hold the back of my head with gritted teeth. I feel something wrapped around my head and dampness. I pull my hand away to see blood covering it. "You're lucky I have that shawl wrapped around my head all the time," I turn around to see Sheik standing up, crossing his arms. "Or else you would have been killed by blood loss. I'm surprised you didn't get a concussion from the way you hit that rock."

'Midna did always say I have a thick skull, though I never thought she meant it literally,' I muse, smiling to myself. He rolls his eyes and I look around. 'So, how are we going to get out of here?' I ask, walking to a wall.

"I can easily climb up the wall, but you don't have anything. Although I do have an idea," I hear a smirk in his voice but don't have time to turn around before he grabs my tunic, pulls me back and somehow gets me on his back before getting a chain out of his belt.

'What are you doing?' I ask as I'm forced to wrap my arms around his shoulders to not fall back and hurt myself more.

"We're getting out of here," he says before swinging the chain and whipping it at a rock coming out of the side of the wall.

'You've got to be kidding-' he cut's me out of my thought when he swings off. I quickly grab onto my hat with one hand as I wrap my arm more around his shoulders, looking below us as everything blurs. 'I think I prefer doing the actual swinging,' I gulp.

I hear Sheik chuckle as he makes it to the edge he was aiming for. "Too bad, this is the only way out," he turns his head to look at me.

I mind groan and look up, 'What about the Gibdoos?"

"Gibdo," he corrects. I just roll my eyes. "They don't like light," he says before readying his chain-whip again.

'But there's no light up there,' I frown.

"Exactly," he says and sends the chain-whip.

'I hate you,' I think dully as he swings again. We're swallowed by the darkness of the cave before I feel him land. My eyes adjust quickly and I see a tunnel leading up to our left. 'Sweat!' I think and get off his back, starting to head over.

He puts a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Not so fast, we'll need to make a fire if we're going in there, Gibdo and Redead won't come near us," he says.

'How will we-' he creates a fire in the palm of his hand and I jump back, knowing it's magic. 'Don't do that around me!'

He just ignores me and walks towards the tunnel. I stay in the light of the fire, but I don't dare go any closer, there's no way I'm getting near him with that. The moan of a Gibdo comes from the darkness and I have to calm myself so I don't instinctively go close to Sheiky and his fire.

"Suck up that courage of yours, no need to be afraid of controlled magic," he looks back at me.

'Magic is magic, and it's the controlled kind that scares me the most. It's as unpredictable as someone's mind,' I'm forced to walk faster when he starts to take longer strides. Stupid jerk and mocking my shortness.

He rolls his eyes and stops walking, making me stop in turn. He sighs in annoyance and starts walking towards me, I step back away from him, eyes fixed on the fire in his palm. Eventually he backs me into a wall, and I shrink back, trying my best to get away. I close my eyes and feel myself shiver when I feel the heat of the flame. 'Get it away from me!' I mind-yell.

"…You really are afraid of magic, aren't you?" he asks, stepping closer and making me back farther into the wall.

'What was your first clue?' I wonder.

I hear him sigh and peek my eyes open once I don't feel any heat. I look up at him before quickly looking down, cursing myself for seeming so weak like that. "I've never seen anyone react like that to magic," he mutters.

I just look at my feet more, not thinking anything. I hear him come closer and soon I'm looking into his eyes as he lifts my chin. "I won't hurt you you know," he says quietly.

I nod slowly but my eyes move behind his shoulder when I see a Redead Knight coming out. I duck under and around him, taking out my sword and shield as I narrow my eyes at the Knight. Sheik soon joins beside me, swinging his chain around. The Knight screeches, making us both cringe, and slowly starts to walk towards us. We're able to shake off the paralyses and Sheik lets his chain-whip fly and wrap around its neck. I waste no time and jump forward, stabbing the sword through its middle and making it groan in protest.

I hear Sheik take out something from his belt and roll under the Knight's legs as he sends five throwing knives into its face. Wanting to end this, I jump to the side, roll, and preform the Back Slice just as Sheik pulls his chain-whip and we send it to the ground, dead before it can do anything else.

We only have a short time to take in our victory when we hear moans from all around us. We jump to each other, back-to-back, and I take out my bow as Sheik takes out more knives. The moans become louder and Gibdo, Redeads and a Skulltula come, the spider-like monster climbing down the wall. "You ready, Shorty?" Sheik whispers.

I ignore the name and smirk over my shoulder, not taking my eyes off the monsters around us. 'Ready when you are, Jerk,' I think.

-With Navi and Coral-

"Do you think he's alright?" Coral asks as she unlocks a door and finds a spiral cave with waterfalls all over.

"I sure hope so, he has the Zora Armour, so he shouldn't have drowned. I just hope he didn't get servilely hurt," Navi says as she flies forward, lighting the slightly dark room. "But I've never seen that many Gibdo or Redeads in one place, it was almost like they were guarding something."

"…Maybe the way to the Lost Item," Coral's eyes grow wide.

"The Lost Item? What's that?" Navi asks, she's never heard of it.

"Well, the Lost Item is something that the Zora got from our ancestors a long, long time ago," she explains as she spots a cave marking. She goes up to it and smiles, "This was them! They were called Parella, they were like squids and lived deep in water, they had this thing called a Water Dragon Scale, it lets anyone to breathe under water _and_ it lets anybody jump over fences in the water. It was put into this Temple for safe keeping when we built it."

Navi just blinks, she's never heard of something like that. Had it been created before her time?

She's taken out of her thoughts when Coral starts moving again. "How will we find Link?" the Zora wonders, putting a hand on her chin to think.

"I think we'll find him soon, how much trouble can he really get into?"

-With Link and Sheik-

'Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine,' I keep count of the Redeads and Gibdo I've been killing as Sheik and I circle on the spot, taking out all the Undead with arrows and knives.

"Sixty-three, sixty-four, how many have you got, Shorty?" Sheik asks, throwing a knife through a Skulltula's head.

I smirk, shooting a Redead in the heart. 'Just killed seventy,' I tell him before finding myself out of arrows. 'Looks like it'll be up-close and personal from now on,' I think, taking out the Master Sword and my Hylian Shield.

"You out of long-range, too?" he asks, taking out his chain-whip.

'Yep,' I nod shortly.

"Let's get this done and over with, I just hope this is the last of these guys."

We start fighting the Undead, doing our best to help each other if one of us is frozen by a scream or locked eyes with one of them. It's strange, but we make a good team, we barely have to look at each other and we jump to the other's rescue before the monsters even get to us. Soon we're facing off agenised the last few Undead, one Redead, a Gibdo and two Redead Knights, both of us panting and sweating from the fight.

"Hang in there, we only a few more left," Sheik pants, shaking his shoulder length hair out of his face, but it sticks to his neck and forehead.

'Don't need to tell me that,' I think, not even bothering to wipe my face. 'Just-' -SCREECH!-'What was that?' I ask, looking over my shoulder.

Sheik looks at me, smiling out of all things. That's not how I feel. "Just a friend I met," his smile grows when the Undead turn and are all incinerated by fire. It barely snaps at my feet and I back up to feel Sheik behind me. He puts an arm around my shoulders and my jaw drops when I see a large bird of fire land in front of us. It's about as large as a swan, with bright fire red feathers and gold plumage, it looks at me with beady black eyes before screeching and flying to my shoulder, making my legs buckle slightly at the sudden weight.

'It's amazing,' I think, risking raising my arm and stroking its wing. It pecks at me lightly and nibbles on my fingers.

"It's called a phoenix, I found it this morning when it was flying around Jabu's lake. It took me through a cave that lead here and flew off after that. It seemed to know something was wrong, because not two seconds later I saw you floating through the water with blood coming out of your head," Sheik explains.

'Huh,' I continue to pet the fire bird and it tugs my hair before flying off, smacking me in the face with its wing. 'Hey!' I glare at it, but not with any heat.

"C'mon, it most likely knows a way out, without magic," Sheik says and starts walking.

I sigh in relief and relax, putting the sword and shield away before trotting to keep up with Sheik and the phoenix. With the help of the fire bird, we find ourselves in a large-ish room with water rising to our waists and a large living tree in the middle. 'Weird,' I think and walk forward. The phoenix flies out of the room but I don't pay attention.

"Short-!" I turn to Sheik when he's cut off to see him surrounded by purple spikes. I start to walk, but a barrier stops me suddenly. I stumble back and look around with bated breath, what's going on.

I turn around and walk towards the tree, but my ears twitch once I pass it and I turn, unsheathing the sword and shield, to see…me?

The person…thing in front of me looks exactly like I do, right down to the Zora Armour and Master Sword. 'Wha?' I narrow my eyes at it, it mirrors my movements. I step back, it steps forward, I back flip, it front flips. I don't understand!

Suddenly, it stops mirroring what I do and attacks, starting with a horizontal slice. I jump back, but it keeps following my steps. I stab forward, but it jumps over my head and catches me on my back. I'm sent stumbling forward and turn in time to block a blow that would have killed me. The clone pushes its strength down on me and I grit my teeth before gaining my own strength and knocking it back. Time to turn on the offensive!

I bash my shield at the unsuspecting clone, and flip over it, but the sword hits thin air and I land on my feet, looking around with quick, narrowed eyes. I hear splashes behind me and spin, slashing up at the clone as it's caught by surprise. I manage to catch its arm, but the skin repairs itself. Oh crud, I'm fighting with magic.

Gulping down the fear growing in my stomach, I tighten my hand around the hilt of the sword and with a yell of fury, I cut forward, pushing the clone back and sending sparks everywhere.

-Sheik's POV-

"Crap!" I yell as I see, uh, one of the Links get hurt? I'm really not sure who is who. "Shorty, which one are you?" I ask.

'Me!' two voices, which sound the exact same, mind-yell at the same time. The clones look at each other and both swear. 'Sheiky, it's me!' I shake my head, this isn't helping.

One of the Links thrusts forward and gets the other on the thigh, making the other Link wince and roll around. Then the Link with the bleeding thigh kicks the other in the back, sending her forward to land in the water. The Link not in the water jumps up and comes down with a Final Blow, but the Link in the water rolls away and gets to her feet.

'This is so confusing! And I can't attack, what if I hurt the real Link?' I think to myself angrily. Is there any way I can call out the fake? This whole thing is like…

Magic.

I look down at my hand, I'll have to, I need to see if this will work. Sorry, Shorty.

I clench my fists and manage to teleport as I throw a Deku Nut down. Luckily the two Links are too occupied to notice me escape. I summon fire in my hand and walk up to the two, the fire behind my back. "Hey!" I call, making them both turn just as they put their Master Swords to each other's throat. "Mind telling me who's who?"

'Sheiky, I'm Link!' they both think and look at each other. 'Stop reading my thoughts!' they yell.

'Oy vey,' I really think I'm getting a headache. I look both of them over, they look so alike! They both even have the makeshift bandage I used my shawl for. Alright, last resort. "Sorry, Link," I say, closing my eyes and looking down slightly. Both of them tilt their heads in confusion before I bring out the fire.

Immediately, the Link on the left backs away, eyes wide. The other one mirrors her movements, but not nearly as fast. But I have to be sure. I walk towards them and manage to back them into the wall, shaking exactly alike. I'm forced to intensify the fire and the one I now _know_ is the real Link shrinks back into the wall as far as she can go, while the other doesn't look as fazed.

I close my hand, extinguishing the flame, and look at the fake, smirking. "Found you," now it grows afraid. When the clone is distracted, Link pulls out the sword and stabs through its chest, making blood fall all over. The fake falls to the ground and Link grabs her shoulder, finding a cut neither of us had seen there before.

-Link's POV-

I rub my bleeding shoulder and look at Sheik, smiling slightly, 'Thanks…even if you _did_ have to use magic.'

"No one can duplicate someone else's fear, because no one has the exact same fear, you might get someone who's afraid of Skulltulas, but there are also people who just don't like them and squirm even if it's a small one. And you have the biggest reaction to magic I've ever seen," he says.

'Yeah,' I mind-mumble as the water drains from the room and something falls from the roof. I walk over to it and pick it up, it's a small blue scale and it feels like Rocky's, so it's from a dragon I guess?

"What do you know, the Water Dragon Scale," Sheik bends down beside me. "With that anyone can easily jump over a blockage in the water."

I hand it to him, 'Here, I can swim just fine with my tunic.'

"But you might not always have your tunic, that thing can easily be destroyed with fire, or even somewhere really cold, so it might not always be helpful. With this, you'll be able to breathe underwater and not worry about it as long as you put it on your forearm, like this," he takes my arm and pushes the scale, curved side down, into my skin. I yelp and try to get away as the feeling of bloody magic enters me, but he holds me firm, not even giving me a slight chance to run.

'Jerk,' I think as I finger my skin, where I can see the scale. 'That's kinda disturbing.'

"Hey, what works works," he shrugs and starts walking to the now unbarred door on the other side. "Well? What are you waiting for?" I jog up behind him and he opens the door. He puts an arm out and I look down to see a large gaping hole with only about a meter of wall space to the other side circling the round room.

I start to sidle across when Sheik stops me. "That will take too long," he says and takes out the chain-whip.

'I'm fine with long,' I shrug, eyeing the weapon.

"Well I'm not," he says and somehow gets me on his back again.

Resisting the urge to growl, I'm forced to wrap my arms around his shoulders after putting my hat into my belt, not wanting to lose it. Sheik grabs a hook-like rock and swings off, but it jerks down and almost causes me to fall off. We miss the edge, and now we're hanging in the middle. 'Great plan, you got another one?' I ask sarcastically.

He's about to retort when the walls shake and arrows poke themselves out of the walls. They shoot at us, but Sheik takes the chain-whip back and we start falling. I stare at the darkness below and manage to spot spikes, oh Goddess we'll be killed! Sheik seems pretty relaxed considering we're about to die.

I notice the hole starting to get skinner, and soon he's able to stop us by putting his hands and feet on either side and pushing up, making us come to a fast halt just above the spikes. Shit.

That's when I spot something on the side of the spikes. Paper. Curious, I get off Sheik's back and manage to slide between him and the wall. "What are you doing?" he snaps, looking down at me as I slowly descend. I just ignore him as I grab the paper. I tug at it and see a small switch under it. This'll either help us or kill us.

Biting my lip, I press the switch and the spikes shiver for a moment before going into the ground. Smiling, I go down and see the floor not too far away from us. I drop but land my butt, oh well, didn't hurt that much. I only get to look around the room a little before Sheik falls on top of me, making dust come up from the floor.

After coughing and opening my eyes, I see Sheik's face really close to mine and just staring at me with wide eyes. 'Um…can you get off?' I think and he scrambles off of me. I nod in thanks and look around the room, the walls are covered in those stones like before, two doors on either side and a small pool of water.

"How'd you know there was a way to get rid of the spikes?" Sheik asks.

I smile, 'I didn't.'

He just sighs and shakes his head. I shrug and go towards the door on the right, opening it, I see a slow moving river with vortexes all around. 'We'll have to be careful if we go this way,' I think and turn around, bumping into Sheik's back. 'What is it?' I ask, standing on my toes to try and see over his shoulder. I spot some blue guy in a purple and blue robe and holding a staff standing there, he looks really old and has a beard.

"A Wizrobe, these guys are annoying," Sheik says. My ears drop at 'Wiz', oh great this guy knows magic.

His eyes zero in on me, seeming to know my fear, and teleports out of sight. 'Huh?' I wonder before I'm picked up from the back of my tunic. I yelp and struggle to get free, but the Wizrobe has me dangling over a vortex from his staff. It looks at Sheik, seeming to dare him to take a step forward, before nodding and teleporting away with me.

Colours flash before my eyes and once we land I throw up, stupid magic! I look up to see the Wizrobe slam his staff into my gut, making me curl up into a ball, gasping for breath. "I've got the Hylian," he speaks in an old, croaky voice to something behind me.

"Oh, good. Leave!" the voice behind me demands and the Wizrobe doesn't waste any time. "So, I see you enjoy getting in and out of trouble," I look over my shoulder to see the huge cat-woman thing from before. I try to get up, but she slams her heavy paw on top of me, preventing any movement. She brings her head close to me and looks me over. "You really aren't enough to fill me, but bringing those other human-like things will be enough strength for me to escape this prison."

I glare at her, but she only laughs in my face, making my ears ring at the volume. "Glare all you want, but that won't stop me from eating those things. But I am curious on how you taste," she says and licks my face with her scratchy tongue. I shake my head and she spits in my face. "Plah! Two good. I can't eat something like you, especially with all the light in your blood. But I can still play with you," she grins evilly and I gulp.

She lifts me up in her paw before throwing me into the air then batting me to the side. Her tail comes around and whips me back and I slam into the ground, where she starts batting me between her paws like I'm a ball. The world blurs and I feel my stomach turn as she continues to 'play' with me. She throws me into the air again before catching my tunic in her mouth and shaking me like a rag doll.

"Hey!" I hear Navi's voice yell and the shaking stops.

'Ooh,' I moan as dizziness swarms my brain.

"Put him down!" Coral yells.

I feel the cat-woman smirk before I'm dropped, landing in the sandy ground face first. I groan as I start to pick myself up, but gasp when she steps on me with her back paw, making my body sink into the sand. "Well well well, the little fish snack has come," the cat-woman purrs and steps off of me, circling Coral. I slowly get to my feet and see Coral backing up, cornering herself in the wall.

'Coral!' I think, doing my best to ignore the bruise that's now on my back, and limp to the cat-woman's back paw, jumping on when she's stopped and distracted.

Not my best plan of action. I'm forced to grab onto her fur and get onto my stomach so I don't fall off when she leaps forward. Coral screams and runs out of the way just in time and the cat-woman skids to a stop, sending sand all over her paws and me. I shake the sand out of my face as she turns around and hisses at Coral. "You think you can outsmart a Sphinx?" she asks, crouching down and getting ready to pounce.

"Yes?" Coral asks, not sounding sure.

"Well you thought wrong," the Sphinx jumps again and manages to bat Coral to the side and into the wall. I start to climb up her leg, and luckily she doesn't notice me as she starts walking again, making me grab onto her fur once more. "There is one thing Sphinxes love so much, riddles. If you can get these riddles, I will not eat you, if you don't get them, I will have the best snack in all my life," the Sphinx laughs.

"First riddle:I do not breathe, but I run and jump. I do not eat, but I swim and stretch. I do not drink, but I sleep and stand. I do not think, but I grow and play. I do not see, but you see me every day."

"A leg," Coral says.

"Correct," the Sphinx whips its tail, hitting me in the face and almost making me fall. "Second riddle: When I am young, I go on four legs, then I go on two legs, then I go on three legs, and then I die."

"Uh…" Coral thinks for a moment. "A human! In the morning, which is the beginning of the day, they're a baby, crawling on all fours, when its noon, they're an adult and walking on two legs, and at night it's an old person, who's sun is about to set, and they walk with a cane."

"Correct," I make it to the Sphinx's back and start to tip-toe up to the head.

"And final riddle: To you, rude I will never be, though I flag my tongue for all to see. (Gery: I don't own these riddles, look at Riddles of the Sphinx if you're curious for more). What is it?" I make it to its ear just as Coral's eyes grow wide. She doesn't know it.

"Um, eh," she fidgets, folding her hands in front of her. "A…lizard?" she guesses.

The Sphinx laughs and shakes its head, making me almost fall off. "Wrong! A dog! Those stupid things," she mutters under her breath.

Stupid cat thing, I take offence in that!

Wait, that's it! 'Navi! Change me into a wolf!' I think to her as she flies up to me.

'Are you sure? You might start getting attacked by the Sphinx.'

'But she'll kill Coral! Don't think, just do!' I tell her and she hits the back of my neck. I shake my head once the change is complete and trot over to the Sphinx's ear. 'You are not going to eat her!' I think and bite down on her ear before she snaps at Coral.

She hisses in pain and stands up on her back paws, sending me flying to crash into Coral, who was running away. We end up in a tangled heap but she easily fixes it and looks at me, "That's weird."

I nod as I get to my feet, crouching down as the Sphinx looks at me in fear. "A dog," she whispers to herself before her eyes go completely black and sightless, like she no longer has control. What did I do?

The Sphinx rushes forward, extending its claws and swiping at me. I jump over the paw, but she head butts me into the wall, creating a hole. I slowly get to my paws once she backs away and I shake my fur from the dust and to try and rid the ache, when something hits the back of my neck and changes me back to Hylian. The Sphinx's eyes grow back to normal and she hisses at me before slamming her paw into me, pressing me agenised the wall. "You stupid human! Tricking me to think you're a dog! I won't stand for it!" she yells and picks me up around the middle with her mouth.

I try to get free, but she shakes me around again and throws me up before moving and letting me hit the ground hard. I crawl out of the crater I somehow made when everything around me goes darker. Looking up, I see the Sphinx's underbelly coming down. 'Oh-no!' I mind yell and try to move but she soon crushes me.

"Now that he's out of the way, I can deal with you," I hear her say as I sneeze, managing to wiggle slightly under the weight. I find myself at the Sphinx's side, only my arms, head and torso out from under her, and push on the side all I can, but it's really difficult. I look over at Coral to see her get picked up in the cat-woman's mouth, which opens wide before snapping down.

I force myself to look away and close my eyes as the screams echo through the room, filled with pain and agony. I look back at the limp Zora and feel anger boil inside me, this Sphinx is not going to get its meal. I get myself out from under it and stab its side with the sword, making it drop Coral's body in surprise.

It looks at me and hisses, silver blood staining its teeth. "It looks like I'm going to have to deal with you, too," she says, slamming her paw down. I roll out of the way but find myself on the edge of a deep pool. Seeing this, the Sphinx knocks me back and I fall in. Reaching the surface, I look around and try to climb out, but the walls are too slick and wet.

'Great,' I hit the back of my head on the wall. I see Navi fly down and she sits on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

'Yeah, I'm fine. But how am I going to get out?'

"You could always use the-"

'No,' I cut her off. I am not using the stupid stone for a long time.

"I know, I just thought I'd try," she shrugs. "You'd need to be a Zora to jump out of here…"

The Zora Armour won't let me do that…but the Scale might. Grinning, I pull up my undershirt sleeve and look at the Scale, could this work? "So you got it?" Navi asks, looking at it.

'Yep, got it earlier. But how does it work?' I wonder, looking up at the top of the hole. I look around me to see enough room for me to swim, so that might be a good start. I dive under and go to the bottom before starting to swim, the Scale helping me go a lot faster. Once I gain enough speed, I head up and spin out of the water, managing to just grab onto the edge. 'I have no idea how I did that,' I think, slightly dizzy, as I climb out.

I look up to see the Sphinx attacking someone, and I recognize the swift movements. "Is that Sheik?" Navi asks.

'Yeah, he helped me. Hey, Sheiky!' I mind yell as I run over, sword and shield ready.

"Don't call me that, Shorty," he states, whipping the Sphinx with his chain.

'Alright, Jerk,' I shrug and duck under a blow from the cat-woman. 'Ready to kill this thing?'

"Ready when you are," he replies and jumps up, hitting the Sphinx's nose with the chain-whip. I run at the paw and jump up, coming down with a Final Blow, and making the thing scream as blood comes out of her paw. She lifts it, with me still on, and shakes her paw in an attempt to get me off, but it only makes me hold tighter and make the wound bigger. She hisses angrily again and stops flailing her paw to swipe her other at Sheik, who easily dodges and lands on her head, throwing three knives into her eyes.

She growls and shakes her body and Sheik jumps off, landing on his feet as I keep cutting the leg. The Sphinx eventually flicks me off and I land on my back at Sheik's feet. I give him a sheepish grin and he rolls his eyes as I get up. "What's her weak spot?" he mutters.

I look over her body to see if I can find anything, but there's nothing I see that can indicate weakness. 'I'm not sure,' I tell him.

He sighs, rubbing his forehead. "Looks like I'll have to do it," he mumbles to himself.

"'Do what?'" me and Navi ask.

He doesn't say anything, he just lifts his hand and summons the fire again. I jump back and away from him faster than a rabbit, making Navi hang onto my shoulder in surprise. He glances at me for a second before sending it towards me, making me back up to the wall as I stare at the flames with wide eyes. What's he doing?

He moves his other hand up and creates some sort of black, glowing ball. It expands and I try to walk forward, but the flames jump at me and I'm forced back, I fall to my butt as the magic surrounds me and I feel myself shake as I watch him throw the ball at the Sphinx.

The ball covers the Sphinx in the black glow before dying down. For a few, tense-filled seconds, nothing happens. Then the Sphinx starts to hiss and jerk around, making the ground shake. Seeming to know I'll try to move, Sheik makes the flames come even closer but all I can do is stare as a black orb of light appears outside of the cat-woman's heart before contracting and exploding.

I scream and duck my head into my arms, shaking violently as wave after wave of magic hits me, making my skin tingle. 'Why won't it stop?' I ask myself, making myself go into a tight ball to try and block out the magic.

Once everything dies down, I hear Navi speak, "Link?"

Hesitantly, I look up to see the room destroyed and I'm surrounded in a blue diamond with Sheik standing beside me with his own diamond. 'Was that necessary?' I mind-whisper.

"Yes, it wouldn't have been able to get killed any other way," he says.

'You could have warned me, then it wouldn't have been as…frightening,' I look down.

"C'mon, let's go," Navi says and I stand up shakily.

"There's the way to the Sacred Realm, you can leave through that," Sheik says before throwing a Deku Nut down and leaving.

Gulping the rest of my fear down, I stumble over to the light and quickly find myself in the Realm. The blue circle glows and Coral shows up, although I've got to say I'm not really surprised she's the Sage. "Hey, Link. You're lucky that that Sheikah could use Nayru's Love, or you and him would have died from that spell."

'Another reason I hate magic,' I mind-mutter.

"Alright, I've wasted enough of your time. Here, take my Medallion," like every time before, the power of the Sage comes down and I grab it, the world flashing white as I leave.

"And Link? Don't be afraid to show your emotions."

Once the light fades, I find myself beside the cave we slept in last night, confused about her final words.

"Alright Link, let's go back to the Domain, hopefully the water's back," Navi says and starts flying towards the tunnel. I follow and smile to myself as I see the water returning, slowly, but returning nonetheless.

The guard my friends talked to yesterday smiles at me gratefully and I smile back as I start to head out of the Domain.

As I walk out, my mind keeps going back to Sheik for some reason. He used magic, so he could use magic to keep me away from the blast, but why does it feel like something inside me is buzzing? Is it the result of the explosion? I hope it dies down soon.

-Unknown POV-

I growl to myself as I watch the kid leave the Domain from my perch on top of a bolder. He is starting to foil my plans more, and without that Sphinx I can't get that Twili to corrupt that fish again. I see I will have to take it up a notch with this.

But wait, this is good. I now know the Hero's weakness and I will definitely be using it agenised him. With a smile, I snap my fingers and disappear from the fish-people's home.

-Link's POV-

Why are my legs so stiff? It feels like they're being weighed down by rocks. The buzzing in my body hasn't left yet and it's almost nightfall, I'll need to get back to the castle soon, I think I might be getting sick.

"Link, are you alright?" Navi asks slowly.

I just shrug, not sure myself, when my legs buckle and I slam into the bolder beside me, dizziness swarming my mind and the world spinning. W-what's happening to me?

I fall to my hands and knees, suddenly gasping for air. "Link!" Navi calls and I try to lift my head, but it's so heavy.

With short breaths, I fall forward and feel my head pound harshly, I hear my heart thudding in my ears and everything gets fuzzier and fuzzier as my heart quickens. I try to get up, but I can't move my arms or legs, I can't even feel them. I…I'm so con-confu-

Everything goes black as the last thing I see is a large shadow hovering over me.

Gery: Dun dun dun! Cliffhanger! Please don't shoot me! *Runs for cover* Anyway! We learned Link's fear, she awakened the Sage of Water, and there were minor Shink moments! Well, there isn't much I can really say now, but for next chapter: Link meets a good friend she hasn't seen for a while, some more bad crap happens to her, and she gets bad news from Zelda. See ya! And if you guess who she sees again, you get a virtual…(wait for it)…

A Cake with Smarties! See ya!


	8. Chapter 7

To Nicszilla: Virtual cookies are awesome:)

To Mihang: don't worry, the unknown dude is _not_ Sheik, no way. And no they're not Zant, either. Yeah, I was trying to think of something that Link would be afraid of and that would make sense. TP Link being afraid of magic seems to fit to me, with not being around it, then suddenly getting it full force would cause a lot of panic and fear to rise. And she is oblivious, but I love it:D, I like to think of this Link being slightly childish and she's never really experienced it before, other than the motherly love of Uli and Ilia, right? So she'd be new to the thing. Hercules is a good movie, it's probably one of my favorites (starts singing 'I Won't Say I'm In Love') Don't worry about Nura, she'll be fine, I have plans for making Hyrule slightly more modified;) And if you want, you can create an OC and I'll put them into the story, just tell me their description in the reviews and I'll gladly take more people!

To alfred pierce: Thank you, I see you like UO. Thank you again, I enjoy writing it. I've been stalking this sight for about a year now and I know what it feels like when something doesn't get updated very fast, and I lose stuff to read, so I'm trying to keep this at a once a day sort of thing, two days at most. And thank you again again!

To Linkolas: You're welcome! No, Nura is not the Sage of Spirit, she's just a badass Gerudo. Yes, you are right with one of them, you get a virtual cookie for that, and yes, he has a _big_ part in this story. I've already dropped hints of who he is;)

To Not-Alone-Anymore: AAAAAHHHH! I'm not normally loud (except when I'm really, really, reeeally hyper or just happy) but it's fun to yell (no matter how hard I try, I cannot scream). Thank you! I didn't think someone would like my writing _that_ much! Thank you again! I will definitely keep writing this! It is far from over if I have anything to say about it (Pst, and I do;D). I did the impossible! I get my own virtual cookie for that;)! I'm not used to writing anything with fluffiness (It's so fluffy!) so thanks to my fan, Not-Alone-Anymore!

To Nicszilla again: No, nope, not it, no it ain't a giant lizard, you'll find out when you read this chapter:D! You get the cake for trying though!

To Lady Fai: You're right! You get the cake for being the first person to guess correctly! And yes, the unknown person is who you're thinking of. Thanks for the typo check! I don't have a Beta, and I'd like to keep it that way, so all this is my own typing off of Word. No, the shadow isn't Yeto. Yes she does. You'll have to wait and see, she'll obviously be mad and I make her make Sheik make something to make him not lie. Makingly ;D and some more bad crap happens to her so that she can't really hold a grudge for that long.

To NooneinParticular: You're right! You get a virtual cookie of omnonmonmness!

Nura: What do you mean by 'modified?' and am I going to get my sight back?

Gery: May-be, you'll have to wait and see. Okay! So we're on the seventh(eighth if you count the prologue) chapter and it's been over a weak since I started this:D. You know what this calls for?

Adam: Should I be afraid?

Gery: Free virtual cookies for everyone reading my story! I didn't think so many people would be reading this! Thank you all! I LOVE you! With a capital L!

Alex: I'm jumping for joy*he says dully*

Gery: *jumping for joy and ignoring Alex* Disclaimer!

Nura: Gery still doesn't own anything other than plot and OCs, anyone wanting to take part in this is allowed to suggest their own OCs if you want. Gery's starting to run out of ideas for names.

Gery: I'm not good with names :P Anyway! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 7: An Old Friend, a New Problem

"Every. Single. Time. She gets hurt in a Temple every. Single. Time," a really, really familiar voice stresses as I feel myself slowly come to. My entire body's screaming.

"I've noticed that too, and I've only known her for two weeks," Navi's voice says from on top of my head.

"I really hope Zelda will be able to help, I'm not good with this world's magic," the familiar voice sighs.

I groan, slowly opening my eyes to see daylight shine in my face. I close my eyes, grunt, then roll over away from it. The familiar voice giggles and my eyes snap open, I'm now wide awake. "And you're lazy as ever."

Not completely wanting to believe it, I look over my shoulder and gape when I see the familiar ruby/orange eyes smirking at me. 'Midna?' I ask. She giggles the familiar giggle as I get to my feet. 'What-what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be-!'

"Yes, I am _supposed_ to be in the Twilight Realm, but the moment I discovered this new problem here, I just teleported to Lake Hylia. Good thing I did too, you were collapsed and the fairy wouldn't shut up," she jerks her head at Navi, who looks really irritated. (Gery: Oh Midna, you start out as a b***h, then everypony loves you.)

"Stop calling me 'the fairy'," Navi mutters under her breath before flying into my face. "Link, there's something you need to know."

I feel my ears drop in worry, 'What?'

"You're…still a wolf," she says. I look down and low-and-behold, I see wolf paws. But why are they smaller than usual? My paw can easily get out of the shackle now. Come to think of it, Midna and Navi are larger than before. "But you're a wolf puppy."

Now my ears fall more, 'Huh?'

"Navi explained what happened in the Temple of Lord Fish-"

"Jabu-Jabu!" Navi yells.

"Whatever-she explained what happened in the Temple with the explosion, and I think the magic of the Sphinx affected you like this," the Twili Princess says.

'Why does everyone around me have magic?' I mind-yell.

"I don't know, but the magic of the Sphinx must have hit you and caused this to happen. Now you're a puppy, and a runty one at that," Midna smirks.

'Of course, let's just top off the cake!' I think.

"But look at the bright side, now people won't run away from you," she says.

'I think I prefer to be a large wolf when everyone runs than being a runty wolf pup,' I sigh. 'Can you change me back?'

"That's another thing, the magic seems to have…affected that pressure point too. It's now paralyzed. But don't worry! It won't affect your walking, just the ability to change you back into a Hylian," Navi explains.

'Gah!' I let my head fall onto my paws, my luck just keeps getting worse and worse.

"C'mon, maybe we can get to the castle and get Zelda's help," Navi says as Midna stands up. Okay, now she's just towering over me more, and I _know_ her mocking smile when she uses it.

"How will we get back up? There's no way I'm going to talk to anyone with this problem around, and I doubt anyone really trusts Twili right now thanks to Zant-"

'Zant!' I remember. 'Midna, Zant's alive!'

She looks at me for a few seconds, blinking in shock. "But…that's not possible, I killed him, remember?"

'I know, I saw you kill him with my own eyes, but he's alive! And he's causing more problems around here than before!' I tell her, craning my neck to look up.

"Oh great Twili Gods," she runs her hand over her face. "This is just perfect! I just hope the Chancellor can take care of the Twilight Realm for this."

'Wait, how did you get here? You broke the mirror,' I tilt my head.

"I know I did, to prevent anyone from the light world from coming to the Twilight Realm. Twili can still go in and out, just no one from this place can get to the Realm," she explains. (Gery: That's all the sense I can make as to why she broke the mirror. That always makes me sad :'()

"C'mon, we'd better go now so we can get there by dark. It might take longer with you being a pup," Navi says and sits on my head.

"I can easily travel through the shadows, so I'll go ahead and tell Zelda what's going on. Maybe we can think of something by the time you get to the castle," Midna says before disappearing.

I look up at the bridge and huff in annoyance, nothing will ever go right for me. "Let's go, there has to be some way up," Navi tugs my ear and I get to my feet, but stumble forward and fall, not used to these small legs. I glare at Navi when she stifles a giggle and whistles, looking away innocently.

'Care to share your amusement?' I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, with you being a pup and stumbling around, it's just cute, okay?" she giggles, not holding back this time.

I narrow my eyes more before getting to my feet, shakily taking a step forward and getting used to the legs. Once I can finally run, I start sprinting to the spot with the Sky Cannon and yelp when something digs up from under my paws.

I shake my head and jump to my feet to see a weird creature that looks like a large, yellow mole with red hair sticking up. "Man, things sure have changed. Didn't think my hibernation would make me sleep so much that a lake was made in the desert," it says in a guy's voice as it looks around, sniffing the air. "Whoo-wee, look at all this greenery! And what kind of thing is that?" he looks at the stone tower overlooking the Gerudo Desert before whistling in amazement. "How long was I sleeping for?"

"Excuse me," Navi asks, seeming just as surprised as me at seeing this thing. "Who are you?"

"Wow, never seen a fairy like you before," he crosses his arms. "I'm Logan, Logan the Mogma."

"Well Logan, may I ask what a Mogma is?" Navi asks, circling around his head.

"Sure thing, a Mogma is me, obviously, and we usual migrate to the Lanayru Desert when the volcano starts to cool a bit so we keep heated, there we hibernate until the desert becomes cool, but for some reason I wouldn't wake up until late last night, then I went digging and found myself here, now talking to a fairy and some puppy," he explains.

'Lanayru Desert?' I wonder.

Navi does too, as she asks, "What's Lanayru Desert? The only desert I know is Gerudo Desert, and this is Lake Hylia in the Lanayru _Province,_ why would you say it's a desert?"

The Mogma's eyes grow wide, "B-but I could have sworn I went to sleep in Lanayru Desert…"

"Oi Logan! Wha's the 'old up?" another Mogma shows up below me again, making me roll to the side once more. This time it looks like a girl with spiky black hair. "'Ow long was you gunna keep me waitin'?"

"Mel, we ain't in Lanayru Desert anymore! This fairy here…" he looks at her.

"Navi."

"Navi, okay. Navi here just told me that this is Lanayru Province, not Desert," Logan tells Mel.

"Eh? Tha's weird, we did dig to the des'rt, din't we?" she scratches her head.

'Navi, they're obviously confused, and they look tired, why don't we ask them if they want to come to the castle? Zelda'll most likely know what's going on,' I suggest.

She bobs up and down before asking the Mogmas this. "Well, we don't really know what to do…so, okay. Thanks for the offer, Navi," Logan smiles.

"Heh, ain't this a cute pup."

'Huh?' I respond stupidly before I'm picked up with a small yelp of surprise.

"This pup yers?" Mel asks, petting my head with sharp claws.

"Uh…sure? We need to get her to the castle too," Navi says.

"No problem, we can just burrow to the top of this lake with the pup," Logan says.

'What?' I blink.

"You fly up an' we'll see ya soon, kay, Navi?" Mel asks and puts me on her back before she starts digging down, sending rock and dirt behind her.

We come to a long tunnel, the one I assume they came up from. I see ice and an image of two Mogmas coming out from it. They must have been frozen down here for more than a thousand years, since Navi didn't seem to know what they are, and Nayru knows how old she is.

I'm taken out of my thoughts when more dirt hits my face, I shake my head and Logan looks back. "Hey Mel, why not put the pup down for a bit? I don't think it likes getting hit with stones," he says.

"'Kay," she nods and puts me down, to my relief. I shake the dirt out of my fur and sit down, waiting for them to get farther. Mel soon comes back and picks me up again, making me feel small, even though I know I am.

Soon the two Mogmas dig up beside the bridge and I jump off Mel's back the moment we surface, I hope I never have to go underground again. I shake the dirt out of my fur and move as they look around more at the bridge. "Wow, that's some building skill," Logan whistles.

'I thought so too the first time,' I muse and start trotting off into the direction of the castle. Navi flies over and sits on my head as the Mogmas follow me under the ground, I'll need to remember where their holes are, I don't want Epona getting her foot stuck in one.

By late afternoon, I spot the walls of the castle and sigh in relief, these paws aren't good for long distance travel. "You alright?" Navi asks for the umpteenth time since we've been walking.

'I'm fine, I just need some water once we get in, and when we see Zelda, I just hope I can change back and get going to find the last two Sages, I'm _so_ close,' I think, really hoping this doesn't put a hole into my plans.

"Dang, this buildin' stuff is even better than the bridge!" Mel exclaims.

"How will we get through? It's obvious that the people have never seen us before, with your reaction, so they might think we're monsters," Logan asks.

"You can burrow under the city, following us like you were before, and when she taps the ground three times, it will be safe in a courtyard," Navi says.

"That could work," they both say and go underground. I start moving again and run through the gates just before they close, Zelda ordered that happen since the invasion. I peek around the stone wall to see people scrambling around for last minute things and I wince, I came at the wrong time. Oh well, no turning back now. If I can face the Gerudo King, I can get passed these people.

I come out from behind the wall and go through the street, hoping no one will 1: see me, 2: see me and run, or 3: see me and want to take me home.

I become more cautious and careful as I come to the Town Center and main Market. I walk out when suddenly a group of people walk towards me. I jump around and over their feet, hoping beyond hope that the Goddesses will be nice enough to let me get out unhurt.

But someone must really hate me up there, or they like messing with me and having a laugh.

Someone in the back steps on my tail and I yelp quietly, but the person looks down. I look up to see a young teen, maybe thirteen, looking at me with curious brown eyes. "Hey there, little guy," he crouches down and I try to get away, but he picks me up around the middle and looks me over, ignoring my struggles to get free. This is when my stomach decides to give me more problems and growls. "You sound hungry. C'mon, I'll feed you at home," he says as he carries me.

'Navi, go tell Mel and Logan not to come up! I'll get out as soon as I can!' I tell her and she bobs up and down before flying off.

'I really hope I can get out soon,' I think as the boy comes to a rather run-down house. He enters and two younger twin boys around eight run up, not seeing me and hugging the older boy tightly, me in the middle.

"George, you're home!" one boy yells happily while the other pulls back.

"What's that?" he asks and the other boy lets go for the oldest kid to readjust me in his arms.

"It's a puppy I found, he looked tired and hungry, so I thought I'd take him," the boy smiles as he puts me down, only to get picked up awkwardly by the first boy.

"Hey boy! I'm Jeremy!" he hugs me and I struggle to get free.

"I'm Davis," the second boy pats my head.

"Alright, put him down, he needs food," the oldest boy, George apparently, says and the kid puts me down, to my relief. "C'mon boy," he hits his hip and I just sit down, I'm not going to answer to 'boy' while I'm a wolf.

"I don't think he's trained," Jeremy says, crouching down.

"Come on, you hungry or not?" George asks and picks me up again. Dammit, forgot he could do that.

He brings me into an even more rundown kitchen where two men and two women are. One of the women looks over and spots me right away, blinking in surprise when she does. "George, what do you have there?" she asks.

"It's a dog, mum, he was in the Market and looked tired and hungry, so I thought I'd take him in for the night," he explains, putting me down at his feet.

I look up at George's mum as she crouches, looking me over with a soft smile. "We'll, he certainly is cute," she pets behind my ear and I resist growling, why does everyone call me cute? "Yes, I think we can keep him for a night. But you'll have to let him go in the morning, I don't think he's domestic. And he'll have to sleep outside," she says, getting up and looking at her hand. "And he'll need a bath."

'Oh great,' I think.

"Okay! C'mon, boy, let's get outside, you can eat there," I grudgingly follow the boy to the small back lot and he ties me up to a small shelter, I guess they used to have their own dog. He only ties me up with rope, so even if they think they're keeping me I can easily run. He runs into the house and comes back with some raw and slightly moldy cow meat. They don't have much, do they?

He gives me the small piece and I look him in the eye, he shivers a bit before smiling. "It's alright, we have enough to get us to winter," he doesn't say it can get him _through_ winter before he goes back into the house.

I eat the meat they willingly gave me with guilt, I shouldn't be here, eating their food, but if I don't eat it, it will go to waste. I sigh and lie down, putting my head on my paws, this might be a long night.

I guess I fell asleep, 'cause next thing I know I'm being shaken awake. I look up with groggy eyes to see the twin boys with a bucket of soapy water and a rag each. "Alright, boy, we're gunna bathe you," Davis says and sits on the back of his knees as Jeremy sits on the ground in front of me.

They dunk the rags into the bucket and start to wash me, and I can tell a lot from the way they do it. Jeremy makes short, hard strokes that make me want to jerk away, but Davis makes long, soft strokes that make me stay put. Thankfully they finish scrubbing me quickly, the Jeremy dumps the bucket over my head to clean me of the suds, making my ears drop from the dampness.

"Alright, there we go," Davis says as he wipes me dry with a ragged towel. "There, see you in the morning boy," they both smile identically and leave inside the house. Once again, I slip into sleep when they close the doors.

'This is so strange,' I think as I wander around the odd forest. The mushrooms are huge, the trees are so tall, and the fruit on the trees look like retarded pumpkins, making me feel smaller. 'Why does everything mock me?' I wonder as I walk around, still in the body of a wolf pup. Footsteps make my ears perk up and I hide under a mushroom as I see brown boots walk by, chasing after a bird thing with a bulb on its back.

I come out slowly and look around to make sure nothing shows up unexpectedly. I sigh once I see the coast clear and turn around to find myself in a different place, a Temple of sorts with a bird statue in front of it. I see a boy go through, and the image shifts to where I'm in a round room, the boy and the man from my other dream fighting each other.

Again everything moves and I find myself in the black room again, the one column of light the only thing I can follow. As I walk, I start to see something form in the distance, it looks like something heart shaped and colourful-

I jump awake and look around quickly to see the sun peek over the horizon, indicating that I can go to the castle today. Thank Nayru for that. George comes out and unties me, giving me one last smile before nodding. Giving a small, un-wolf-like nod back, I dash off and squeeze through the broken fence, running as fast as I can to the castle.

Thankfully I make it to the courtyard in no time and without being spotted, when I smell something, like steel and desert sand. I turn around to see a certain Sheikah and roll my eyes as he looks down at me, smirking knowingly and mocking my new height. "Didn't know this happened to you, Shorty."

'Jerk,' I mind-mumble, I'm still pissed off at him for what he did. He laughs and starts walking.

"So, are you going to call up your mole friends?" he asks.

'Have you been stalking me?' I ask, galloping beside him to try and keep up, knowing I'll have to deal with him for a bit longer.

"Only for a bit, I do have a life, you know," he says.

'Have a funny way of showing it,' I think and tap the ground three times. Not long after, Logan and Mel show up, looking at me and Sheik in confusion.

"Didn't those two treasure seeking idiots describe what the woman in black looked like?" Logan asks.

"Yeah, they said she 'ad red eyes an' blonde fur, an' this guy fits the bill," Mel nods. "Hey dude, what are ye?"

"I'm a Sheikah," he says.

"Finally! Something familiar!" Logan cheers.

"Come on, we need to see Zelda," Navi says and the Mogmas jump out of the ground. I didn't expect them to be so short, and this is me thinking. We walk through the castle easily without getting spotted and Sheik knocks on Zelly's door.

She opens it and sighs when she sees me, "I was really hoping Midna was kidding."

"Would I ever do that?" Midna asks from inside the room.

"'Yes,'" Zelda and me say/think at the same time.

"You know me so well," she remarks dryly as we come in. "And who are you?" she asks the Mogmas.

After introductions, Zelda starts talking to them, looking rather sad. "I've heard of your kind before. But…I'm afraid that…there haven't been any Mogmas here in over a million years," she tells them.

"What? No way, we haven't been stuck in the ice _that_ long…have we?" Logan looks at Mel.

"Don't look 't me! I don't 'eep track o' stuff like that!" she says.

"You two are welcome to stay here for as long as you like, I have a courtyard that's not used anymore where you can live," Zelda offers.

"Gee, thanks. This whole place is weird," Logan bows his head.

Zelda quickly takes them to the courtyard and comes back, sighing as she sinks into her chair. "I don't know how to cure you yet Link, what that Sphinx did is so strange, and I can tell by the magic surrounding you that it won't be easy to break," she says.

I groan, dropping to my stomach and putting my paws over my ears. 'Who hates me so much?' I ask/whine.

"Link, didn't you listen? She said it wouldn't be easy breaking this, she didn't say it was impossible," Midna says.

My head shoots up and I look at them, 'Really?'

"Yes, you'll need to find three items that will break it," Zelda says, taking out a very old book. "The Fire of Din, the Love of Nayru, and the Wind of Farore, if you can find these three items and bring them back here, Midna can make something out of it."

"It's a bit of a chore, and it won't correspond with your main objective of finding the Sages, but finding two more Sages in the body of a wolf pup wouldn't be very productive," Midna smirks.

'Great,' I sigh but shake it off.

"Navi will be staying here, the amount of magic she was exposed to has raised her power and she needs to learn to control it," Zelda looks pointedly at the fairy.

"Heh, yeah I kinda blasted a hole in the roof when a cat was chasing me last night," she laughs sheepishly.

'Guess I'm going alone,' I shrug.

"Nope, I'll be coming with you, and so will he," Midna nods to Sheik.

"What?" he raises an eyebrow.

"We need some back up, and what better way than to get a Sheikah to help? You don't mind, do you? Too bad if you do, you're coming anyway," she says before he can say anything. "C'mon, it's still early and I know where the Wind of Farore is," she gets up and starts walking and I'm forced to run to keep up. Stupid. Short. Puppy. Legs!

I look up at Sheik as Midna goes into his shadow. 'You need to promise not to use magic, you're just lucky I have enough human in me to not bite you where it hurts!'

He looks at me, not seeming convinced by my threat, but promises anyway. 'You need to swear!'

Sighing, he puts his left hand on his heart and says, "I, Sheik, won't use magic around Link or may Din's rage come down and strike me where I stand."

I nod, convinced but still angry at him, but the anger soon dies by the puppyness in me not having a large attention span. Stupid puppyness. 'So, do you even know where to find this thing we're looking for?'

"A little, I have a feeling the Wind of Farore is through the big log in Kokiri Forest," he shrugs.

"You're right, it is. And I know exactly where to find it," Midna's voice says.

'That's good,' I think. I hear Sheik let out an annoyed sigh before I'm picked up. 'Hey! Put me down!' I mind-yell at him as I struggle.

"That will take too long, Shorty," he says and tucks me under his arm as he keeps walking. I growl in deep annoyance, jerky Jerk's a jerk.

We come to the stables and he puts me down as he goes to a white and brown Clydesdale standing in one of the stalls. "You're not in more trouble again, are you?" I look to the side to see Epona.

'Shut it, 'Pona,' I think, glaring.

"Who hates you so much they turn you into a puppy? And a rather cute one at that?" she asks, I see that smirk in her eye.

I kind of wish people would stop calling me 'cute'.

"Alright, let's go," I try to run from Sheik, but he easily picks me up and I growl as he puts me in the saddlebag.

'I hate you so much right now,' I think and he buckles it down, making me go into it so my head's not stuck.

"Sure you do, Shorty," I know he's rolling his eyes. He gets on and I roll around in the saddle bag as he walks his horse out. The minute he hits the grass, he makes his horse burst out into a run and I'm pressed into the back of the saddlebag by the force.

-Sheik's POV-

Why does so much crap happen to her, then I'm the one to save her and/or help her? It's like she was born with a bad luck charm. And why does she have to be so cute as a wolf and Hylian?

…Did I just think that? I think I thought that, but did I really? Don't know where that came from. I shake my head, I know what this is, and no, I can't feel it. I promised I would let no one in after what happened in the desert-

Don't think of that, Sheik! Just get to the Kokiri Forest and start looking for the Wind of Farore!

You wouldn't need to look for it if you hadn't scared her and made her put her mind guards down, if she had kept them up, she wouldn't be a puppy right now, a quiet, almost non-existent voice whispers in the back of my head.

_What's done is done, can't change it now,_ I think angrily to myself, then grow confused as to why I'm arguing with myself. Oh-no, I think any sanity I have left is going.

I'm taken out of my thoughts when I see the sun setting and we're only half way through Hyrule field. Sighing, I halt Joyce and hear a soft thud and a growl from the saddlebag before I hear Link mind-yell at me. 'I still hate you!' but I don't hear any heat behind the words.

I just chuckle as I jump off the saddle and get her out of the bag as Midna comes out and takes the supplies from the other. I put her on the ground and she scouts the area for any danger while I go to get some firewood. My thoughts keep drifting to the blue-eyed girl, I know what I feel, and I know it's real, but I just can't. Not after Rosalie-

No! I promised myself I wouldn't think about her!

I shake my head again and see I've gathered enough wood. I go back to our rest place to see Link still scouting. It's funny seeing something as small as her walking around the perimeter, since she doesn't look much larger than a small rabbit. Even in the animal life she's the smallest.

I laugh to myself and pile the wood to start and make a fire. Soon it's glowing bright and Link comes over, sitting down beside the fire but still looks into the night. "You can stop now, you know, nothing's going to attack with the fire," I tell her.

'Habit,' she replies shortly. Midna soon comes back with a rabbit, which is larger than Link, by the way, in her hand.

"Got dinner," she tosses it at me and sits beside Link, smirking at her. "Hey Linky."

'Oh Goddess not you too,' she groans, putting her paws over her snout. I know she's trying to be serious, but I don't think anyone can take a puppy seriously, even if she is seventeen.

Midna giggles and lies back, putting her hands behind her head. "Yes me too. Zelda told me about your friends and their nickname for you. Oh! And she told me something about Nura's blindness," I see Link perk up with this. "Zelda will be able to cure the worst of it with the herbs from Lon Lon Ranch. Her eyesight won't be the same, but it will be better. And Zelda's also designing a new image for spectacles, so she can get them thicker and to stay on someone's face easier."

Link sighs in deep relief, resting her head on her front paws. 'Thank Nayru, Din and Farore.'

We eat our food in silence, just enjoying the meal as the moon rises. Soon we're finished eating and we settle down for the night as a cool wind starts to blow.

In the middle of the night, I wake up to see Link shivering in her sleep, both from a cold and, what looks like, a nightmare. I nudge her awake and her head snaps up, fear in her eyes before she sees it's only me. She sighs and starts to curl up into a tight ball, but she still shivers. "You're cold," I whisper.

She shakes her head, way too stubborn to suck up her pride. Guess I'll have to take it out of her. I shrug and lie back down, pretending to sleep before opening my eyes and seeing Link breath steadily. Now I think it's a good thing she likes her sleep. Smirking, I pick her up gently by the ruff and pull her close, the dog in her sighs and snuggles deeper into the warmth.

"So, how long have you liked her for?" I jump when Midna shows up from nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I ask, playing dumb.

She rolls her eyes. "Don't try to pull that card, I know that look in your eye, you like her, a lot," she smirks.

I feel heat rise on my cheeks, I'm really grateful I have a spear shawl. "I do not! We're just…good acquaintances," I say.

She raises an eyebrow. "Alright, live in denial. See how far that gets you," she says and goes back into the shadows.

I let out a long sigh, I know she knows I have…feelings should I say, but I just can't. It hasn't been that long since everything that happened, and I don't want to repeat it again.

With my mind swarming with craziness, I fall asleep once again.

-The next morning, Link's POV-

I yawn, why am I so warm? Opening my eyes, I see the blood red eye of Sheik's tunic. What? Looking up, I find Sheik sleeping soundly with his arms around me…again…only I'm a dog now, so I can't blush. I wiggle out from his arms and shake myself, yawning and stretching as the sun slowly rises. I don't remember my nightmare much, and I didn't have one after that…weird.

Deciding I can't stay still, I look around to see if I can run around for a bit. Luckily I see a small hill I can easily get to and back from in time before we pack up and leave. Smiling, I start out at an easy trot before full blown running. I breathe in the morning air and exhale slowly once I reach the hill, there's always something new to find as a wolf, different smells to discover and different sounds to hear. I enjoy being a wolf sometimes, but not being able to change back…it makes it not as fun.

Shrugging to myself, I run back to the rest stop to see them packing the horse. Oh great, another ride in the saddlebag of stupidness. Midna smirks at me and I glare back, don't you try-

She picks me up. Dammit, Midna! She laughs as I keep glaring at her. "Link, trust me, glaring won't work when you're a cute, runty puppy," she giggles.

'Gah! I'm a fighter! I'm not supposed to be cute!' I think, annoyed.

"Well too bad, you're a puppy and nothing's going to change that for now," she says before putting me in the saddlebag. "Now be a good girl and quit complaining."

'Sometimes, I don't know why I put up with you,' I mind-grumble.

"Sometimes, I don't know why you put up with me either," she replies before buckling the bag down and turning into a shadow.

Without a word, Sheik makes his horse run and I start to feel confined. I peek out of the side hole to see the trees pass and manage to get my head out so I can breathe better. I hear a sigh and feel the back of my ruff get picked up. Sheik puts me in front of him on the saddle and I dig my claws into the leather. "Don't worry, you won't fall. But you seemed desperate," he shrugs.

I nod and thank him, looking around as we pass Coro's house. As always, he nods to any passerby and Sheik nods back before coming to the front of the cave. He dismounts and puts me on the ground, taking out his knives to go into the cave. I follow at his heals and look around the darkness for any movement, I'll have to be careful of Deku Babas and Skulltulas, considering how small I am.

We easily get through the cave/tunnel and find ourselves at the poison fog again. When will this stuff leave?

"Wow, it's still here?" Midna asks, coming out and looking around the forest. "I thought it would have been blown away by now."

I just shrug and yelp when I'm picked up by the Twili. "Alright, I can just teleport over with Linky and you can jump over the fog," she says to Sheik.

'No wait don't-!' she teleports anyway, landing on the other side. I am so lucky I can't throw up right now. She puts me down and I fall to my side, groaning and panting.

"Sorry, I knew it would be easier to get over this way," she says and rubs my forehead. I just grunt and get to my paws, shaking myself as Sheik jumps down. Midna goes back into his shadow and we continue on through the forest.

We pass the seller bird and come to the Cuccos when we face a problem. How will we get over…?

I hear chain rattle and look up at Sheik to see him taking out the chain-whip. 'Not again, can we not do this?' I ask.

"We're doing this, now don't squirm," he picks me up and puts his arm around my middle, tucking me into his side before swinging the chain-whip.

I take a deep breath and he jumps, swinging easily to the first outcropping. He takes his weapon back and swings off again, but I feel something grab my tail and pull me out of his grip. I hang upside-down and look up as best I can to see a Skull Kid, and I think it's the one that helped me before. "I know you, but why you look so different?" he asks. "Oh well, hey smelly mister!" he yells at Sheik, who's glaring at him. "I help you get doggy over, you go to entrance and I put doggy there!" Skull Kid tells him and leaps through the trees, still holding me by my tail.

True to his word, Skull Kid puts me down in front of the entrance and tilts his big orange hat at Sheik and disappearing in leaves. "So you met him before, Doggy?" Sheik smirks.

'Yes, Smelly, he helped me find the Master Sword and Temple of Time,' I give a wolfish grin when he glares at me.

We start walking and I easily find the trail I used last time with my friends and Alex, following it until we come to the hole in the woods. "I'll go first," Sheik says and jumps down. I look over the hole's edge before jumping down and he catches me, putting me down so we can quickly get through here before he becomes a Stalfos.

I use the Kokiri Sent I picked up (don't ask me how I got it, I think it was a self-conscious thing) and Sheik follows me. I can't help but wag my tail when I see the Kokiri running around in their home. So we're going to go through the hollowed log? I wonder what's out there…

Only one way to find out.

We go through the village unnoticed and we find a gap to another hollowed log, a broken rope bridge on the ground below us. "I can easily make this," Sheik scoffs and picks me up before I have time to process what he means. He jumps over the gap and smirks to himself as he puts me down. "Ready, Shorty?"

I roll my eyes. 'Ready when you are, Jerk,' I walk forward first and out of the log.

The sun blinds me momentarily and I blink a few times to let my eyes adjust to the sudden change. I go passed some dead trees to see a large field expand in front of me, in the distance I can see the ruins of a castle and the base of a large mountain not far from it, what could have been grass is now dried up dirt and all trees around here are dead. 'What is this place?'

"I've only heard rumours of the Old Hyrule, but I never knew they were real," Sheik breathes, looking around in awe. "They said that after the Hero of Time and Princess of Destiny died of old age, the land started to become filled with more monsters than usual, crops failed and no rain came to fill the river. The Zoras, with Lord Jabu-Jabu, were the first to react and leave this place, then the Gorons were forced to leave when earthquakes were shaking the Old Death Mountain, which is the base over there, and after that the Hyrulians, or whatever were left of them, were forced to leave after the other races. My teachers told me there is no known reason as to why this plague of sorts was happening, but it started with a drought."

'Zant said something about a plague coming to Hyrule when I saw him curse Jabu, and he wanted to start with the water source…so is Zant trying to create another dead Hyrule?' I ask.

"No, Zant wouldn't be stupid enough to try and attack the same place once on his own, besides, he needs to have someone tell him what to do. He was always useless at the council," I know Midna's rolling her eyes. "Anyway, no, he must be working under someone else."

'But who?' the question lingers on all our minds, who would want to make Hyrule a wasteland where nothing can live?

"C'mon, Denials," Midna comes out of the shadow, a cloak over her head to block out the harsh sun, "are we just going to stand around like idiots and look at what little scenery this place has?"

Wondering why she called me and Sheik 'Denials', I follow after her and Sheik, after a moment of looking both confused and annoyed, shakes his head and walks with us, hand on his chain-whip as his eyes dart around for any danger.

The field isn't very large, we manage to walk it in an hour, and we come across the walls of the old Hyrule Castle Town, but it doesn't seem abandoned. "Something's not right," Sheik's eyes narrow. "This place should have fallen into ruin a long time ago."

"I'll go check it out," Midna says and disappears into the shadows. Sheik and me wait in a slightly awkward silence, yesterday obviously on both of our minds. I still don't understand why he used so much magic around me, even though he knew I don't like it. Maybe it was to save me, but he still could have warned me, that way I could have prepared myself for the stupid power.

"Hey…I'm sorry about yesterday," I look up at him but he doesn't fully look at me. "It was stupid of me to not warn you about the magic I was using, I really had no idea you were _that_ afraid of magic that the only guards you have on you, your mind guards, were taken down and I think that's why the magic affected you so much, it zeroed in on who would be unable to handle it all. I really am sorry."

I blink, tilting my head slightly. I think about not forgiving him, but he looks sincerely sorry about what he did. Plus the stupid puppyness in me wants to forgive him so badly. 'You're forgiven…Jerk,' I finally think.

"Thanks, Shorty," he smirks.

A few minutes later, Midna comes back, looking confused and worried. 'What's wrong?' I ask.

"Demons, Demons must have come here once the other races left. They're living in the town and can easily do so, they don't need to eat much, so they don't need resources around and they can just use magic to summon trees if they need them anyway," she explains.

'Bloody magic! It follows me everywhere!' I mind-yell. I look at the sky, 'Why do you hold a grudge on me?'

"Link, stop mind-yelling at the sky, they're probably sitting back and eating pork while watching you and your life struggles," Midna says and cuffs me over the head, making me stumble to the side.

I huff and look around as the sun slowly starts to set. 'So where to now?'

"Well, the best thing to do would be to find shelter and rest for the night, then we can look at the map I swiped from some Demon merchant," Midna says and takes out said map.

'Will you stop stealing stuff? You're the reason I had a badly pecked head when I tried to go back to the Temple of Time because the seller bird attacked me,' I think, rubbing my head with my forearm.

She just shrugs, ignoring me, and starts heading South-East. "Coming Denials?" we quickly follow her and I blink at us being called 'Denials' again, why does she keep calling us that?

I just shrug the thought off and gallop beside my friend. As we walk, we talk about what we've done for the past few months, and it's like no time passed as we can easily talk to each other without it getting awkward.

'So has everything settled down in the Realm?' I ask as we come up a hill.

"Yeah, it's settled down a lot. And so far no one even really talks about what happened, and everyone who was a Shadow Messenger has been treated back to normal," she nods.

"Is this where we're going to stay?" Sheik speaks up for the first time, looking at the ruins of what could have been a farm.

"Yes, this used to be the old Lon Lon Ranch, but as you can see, no one's here," Midna says.

'We'd better go before anything shows up,' I think and start walking towards it.

"Not so fast, Shorty," Sheik pulls me back and I glare at him from over my shoulder. "If we see anything that could attack us, you run and hide. You can't fight in the body of a pup."

"I know you hate it, but he's right," Midna crosses her arms. "You're a runt of a wolf pup, maybe you can kill Walltulas, but other than that you can't make much damage."

'I'll fight as long as I'm breathing!' I tell them.

"No you won't. While as a pup you'll hide," Sheik says in a way like he dares me to protest any further.

'Fine,' I let out an angry sigh and follow the two, the puppy in me wanting to whine. I think this is getting worse with my puppyness. I shake my head as we enter the farm, nothing is here and there are two rundown buildings on either side of the welcome sign, most likely the farmhouse and barn.

Luckily we don't find anything that can attack us, so now we're making a small spot to rest inside the barn. I look through the window as the sun sets and wonder whet the Demons are doing here, and if they're hiding in our Hyrule. I really think Zant and whoever he's working for are trying to cause the same problem, so I will need to tell Zelda once we're done collecting the things to turn me normal. Well, as normal as a Hylian girl pretending to be a boy can go.

With a very confused mind, I fall asleep.

-Sheik's POV-

"Do you know she masquerades being a boy?" I ask, carving some wood out of boredom.

"Yes, I'm the one that suggested it. She was already a tomboy, so I didn't think it be too hard, especially with her being mute. I figured that less people would ask questions to a guy with a sword than a girl with a sword, and with all the later weapons she got, it actually helped a lot. And it worked out alright, even though so many girls chase her, it was rather funny," she smirks at the girl-turned-pup.

"She is really convincing, even I didn't know she was a girl at first."

"How can you hear her thoughts? I can tell you're not using magic, it's more like how I talk to her."

"I honestly don't know. I keep asking myself that. I've heard that it's possible for some people to communicate through mind, but my teachers said that the ability died out a long time ago."

"…Maybe it's because you like her," Midna raises an eyebrow, it isn't a question.

"I don't like her like that!" I groan, resting my head in my hands. "We don't get along grate and we're complete opposites!"

"Opposites attract," she shrugs and I sigh.

"I can't like her, she's afraid of me! She's terrified of magic and I have magic in my blood! I grew up with it and I need to use magic every so often so I don't get build up!" I say.

"She's not afraid of you, she's afraid of magic, and magic alone. As long as you don't use it around her, she'll be fine. I can tell she already thinks of you as a friend, maybe not as close as before since all the magic you scared her with, but she'll warm back up. She never holds grudges that long, you'd be surprised how much I mocked her, ordered her around, I even pushed her to her limits and beyond, and I used magic around her daily, knowing full well she hated it, yet look at her now, she's one of my closest friends, and all because she was able to let it go. But she's stupid like that, she always tries to look for the good in people, that's what made her hesitate to kill Ganondorf."

"She hesitated?" I ask, looking at Link. She doesn't seem to be the one to think like that.

"Zelda told me she didn't kill him her first opening, and now she has that scar on her back for it," she moves aside some fur for me to see a long scar, it's probably worse when she's human. "So there are good things and bad things about letting go."

"Some things you can't let go," I say, clenching my fist and my mind going back.

"I know, but tell that to Link," Midna jerks her head before lying down. "G'night, Denial."

I roll my eyes, I'm _not_ in denial, I don't like Link and that's that.

I close my eyes and think, _why do I feel like I'm not being true to myself?_

Gery: Ugh, this chapter's really short, but I can't get anything else into it. So, Link now has to cure herself of being a wolf pup and Midna is back in Hyrule! So, with the clues I've dropped, can you still guess who the 'man in red' is? You still get a virtual cookie if you do! Anyway, next chapter, Link, Midna and Sheik go to a Temple with a name I can't think of yet. Speaking of Sheik, who is Rosalie? What is Sheik's past and why is he hiding his true emotions to himself? There's another question to think on. See ya!


	9. Chapter 8

To Lady Fai: Nope, not him, you get a cookie for trying though, and you get a cake for being _so_ close. Thanks for the idea! That makes so much sense! I will use that, thanks again!

To Linkolas: Thank you, I'm happy you enjoy it! Yep, you're right, you get a cookie! And yes, if you don't know who the 'guy in red' is yet, you will have to wait and see ;)

To Not-Along-Anymore: YAY FOR MIDNA! I love her, she is my favorite Zelda character by far. She's b***hy and sarcastic, but you can't help but love her:) and for the 'man in red', it's always fun to have a little mystery to a story ;)

To alfred pierce: Thanks! I thought it would be fun and a good time to add more Temples and give Link a reason to adventure with Midna again, like old times. Yay! You guessed right! And considering you haven't played the game, you get a cookie and a cake!

To Nicszilla: Virtual desserts are good, and thanks! Yes, he his! You get a cookie! But no, it's not anything you listed, but they are a main antagonist in _one_ of the games, and it's okay if you're not good at guessing, you'll just have to wait and see!

To Mihang: I've been wanting Midna to come back since I started writing this story, and now she is:D! Yeah, I wasn't going to leave Nura too blind, she'll just be more badass now. I didn't see Rosalie coming either until I wrote her name and an idea formed, and you'll have to find out who _exactly_ she is later, but you basically got the idea of her. She will, once she's no longer a puppy, right now she doesn't have her full human sense, so that will have to wait for a few more chapters. And it's fun having her being so oblivious. And could you please PM me? I have no idea how to do it yet:P anyway, thanks! It will help a lot!

Gery: Hey guys, sorry for the kinda late chapter. I know in the last one I literally said I was going to post something a day or two each, but I didn't count on how busy I was going to be. To say I'm sorry, you all get cookies. And thanks to Lady Fai for giving me the idea for the next Temple, you get an extra cookie for that! So I hope you enjoy my latest posted chapter yet! I don't own anything but plot and OCs.

Chapter 8: The Palace of Winds

-Link's POV-

'Great, now where am I?' I wonder as I walk through a warped tunnel. I come out the end to see a person facing away from me, I think he's the diamond bodied guy from one of my other dreams.

I crouch down, ears flat on my head, there's something really off about this guy. Without turning, he looks down and shakes his head, "You really think you can fight me like that?"

I growl in response, baring my teeth if he tries anything. He laughs darkly and takes the sword off his hip, "Very well, soon we will meet, and you will not be coming out of the encounter alive."

My head snaps up from my paws and I find myself panting quietly, that dream…it felt so real. I mentally gulp, who is that guy? And why do I keep having dreams/visions with him in them? I hope he isn't going to just come in out of the blue and kill me.

I look out the window to see the sky starting to brighten. Good, we can go look for the Wind of Farore now. I still have no clue where it is, Midna always likes to keep me hanging. I yawn and get to my paws, still don't like being a puppy, I feel so small and helpless. And I hate feeling helpless!

Shaking my head in frustration, I walk out of the ruined barn to hear a harp being played on the roof. I look up but can't see anybody from my spot, so I move to the broken fence of what used to be a corral and turn to the roof. Sheik's sitting on top, staring into the distance as he plays the golden harp he had in the Fire Temple. He's not wearing his shawl, so his shoulder length hair blows in the breeze slightly. I see something in his eye and I feel my heart flutter for some reason. Why do I always feel this around him?

"You're really oblivious, aren't you, Link?" I jump and turn to look up at Midna, who's smirking down at me with her arms crossed.

'What do you mean?' I ask, tilting my head.

"If you don't know, than you need to find out," she shakes her head. I just furrow my brow in confusion.

'Anyway, where are we going? You already seem to know?'

"We need to get to the Palace of Winds, it's North-East of Hyrule field and we should make it there in a day and a half, give or take," she explains, walking back to the barn with me running beside her.

'As long as I can change back to human, I can wait,' I think to myself.

Fifteen minutes later we're packed and ready to go. With everything ready, we started walking to the Wind of Farore.

-The next day-

I look at the sky as we walk through the ravine that leads off of the Death Mountain Base, the sun's starting to get low and we don't seem close to the Palace yet. I don't even know where exactly it is. Judging by the name it's obviously going to have wind, but that doesn't give me much to go on.

But, thanks to my puppy mind, I shrug it off and just follow the other two. "We should be there soon, the way to the Palace won't be far ahead," Midna says from Sheik's shadow.

"Good, I'm getting tired of having to stop and wait every time somebody falls behind," he looks over his shoulder at me.

'Don't look at me like that, it's not my fault I'm a puppy,' I think. 'Besides, it's not like I was _that_ far behind.'

"You got lost at one point!"

'That's only because those rocks fell around me, I had to dig under them, and you kept going on your marry way down the path,' I glare.

"Don't start you two! You sound like a married couple!" Midna groans.

I roll my eyes and catch a glance of Sheik blushing lightly behind his shawl. Wonder why, Midna was just joking, wasn't she? Although it's hard to tell with her sometimes. Aw well, not really that important.

We come out of the ravine and I see a tornado in front of us. 'Now what?' I ask, there's nothing else here other than some ruins of a house.

Midna comes out, smirking. "Now we go up."

"'What?'" me and Sheik ask.

"To get to the Palace of Wind, we need to go up that," she nods to the tornado.

"I knew it was in the sky, but I didn't know this was going to be how we got up," Sheik mutters, walking towards it.

I sigh and follow, just trying to stay upright when I get close to it. Midna goes back into Sheik's shadow and I try to go into the tornado, but it just blows me around in circles before shooting me back at the Sheikah. He falls back and I scramble off his chest, huffing in annoyance since I know what's coming. "That was stupid," he mumbles, getting to his feet before picking me up.

'You try having half a mind of a puppy, my Hylian side is the only thing that's keeping me from being a full puppy in mind and body,' I mind-mutter.

He just steps into the tornado, ignoring me. We're sent up into the air and everything blurs for me as we land on some floating ground. We look around to see holes in the floor, broken columns and a duty, mold covered carpet that I guess used to be purple. But I really don't know.

'So this is the Palace of Wind? And how are we just floating in the sky? That shouldn't be possible,' I think as I look through a hole and see Death Mountain looking like a hill from here.

"Says the girl who's a wolf pup," Midna remarks. I roll my eyes, if I was Hylian I would have stuck out my tongue, and start walking down the floating path, careful not to fall through the holes. The path leads to the right and we see more floating paths, a cracked and chipped blue switch and some Peahats.

I grind my teeth as I watch Sheik throw his knives at them, still hating being helpless and unable to fight. The minute I'm Hylian I'm going to the castle training grounds and killing some dummies.

But for now, I need to worry about how we're going to get across. The switch looks like it's already been hit a long time ago, so I guess whatever it did isn't around. I look to the floating platform in front of us and see holes and cracks covering the entire area, and they'll most likely break when stepped on. "This is too easy," Sheik says as he gets ready to run to the other platform.

'You're not serious?' I look at him.

He just jumps over the gap and lands on his feet on solid ground. "C'mon, we don't have all day," he says.

I huff and roll my eyes before looking at the first platform. I crouch and start running at it, and luckily I make the jump. I give a small sigh of relief and I make sure not to step on the spots that are too cracked. I manage to make it to the platform Sheik's on just as easy and we come to a full red switch. I hit it with my paw and an old, broken bridge makes its way across the next gap.

I trot over to it and place a paw on it, testing it's durability, before I go across, making sure to not upset the bridge and have it break under me or Sheik. I get to the other side and see another switch, but it's behind three stone blocks, and I can't just climb over them.

I look back at Sheik to see him going over the bridge, the gap too big for him to jump, and we both tense for a second when we hear stone breaking. I look behind him as he looks over his shoulder and we see the bridge starting to fall. Sheik runs over the rest, but the bridge collapses under his feet just as he is a foot from the edge.

Gulping down the fear in my stomach, I run over and look over the edge to see him holding onto it, something grabbing his ankle and preventing him from getting up. I pace on the edge and hear the puppy in me whine as I try to think of how I can help. "Don't even try, it won't work," Sheik says as he kicks at the tentacle-like think on his ankle.

'I can't just leave you here! I can think of something,' I tell him, still pacing and mind racing. I look around and spot a vine that was able to grow. Tail wagging, I run over and rip it out, coming back and dropping it down to Sheik at just the right length. 'Alright, grab on!' I think, getting ready to pull back.

"Midna, you could do it, right?" Sheik asks, looking down.

"Yes, I could. But I can't. If you haven't noticed, I'm in _your_ shadow right now. If I try to get out, I _will_ fall," she says.

'Ready?' I ask. He looks at me dully.

"You can't do this."

I crouch.

"There's no way you can do this."

I grip the vine in my teeth as hard as I can without breaking it.

"I won't believe for a second you can do this."

I pull back with all the strength I can muster, growling as the puppy in me thinks it's a game of tug-o-war. This just makes me tug harder and I start walking back, slowly but surely bringing the Sheikah up with the vine. He gets back onto the platform and stares at me. "I can't believe you did it."

I just give him a wolfish smile as he gets to his feet. We look over the edge and I see the tentacle go back into the clouds, the owner of it groaning, in what sounds like, annoyance.

Shaking of his stupor, Sheik pulls out the chain-whip and hits the switch, making another, equally destroyed stone bridge. I run across first again and sit down by a glowing square in the ground, the fur on the back of my neck rises when I do. Oh great, magic. It follows me bloody everywhere. I would like to go someplace without magic at _least_ once.

Sheik runs over and is able to make it to the platform before the bridge breaks this time, and he looks at the square I'm sitting by. "I think I've heard about those, one of your older reincarnations used it to make copies of himself, so it must have been him that struck those switches before. But it looks like we won't need to use these, considering you need a sword and need to know the Spin Attack."

'Good thing I don't have a sword then,' I think as I look at a single stone block coming out of the platform. Sheik hits the switch from before and a bridge, with pieces missing and others suspended in the air somehow, comes out, much worse for wear than the others. 'This is gunna go wonderfully!' I think with false enthusiasm.

Midna comes out and smirks at me, and I gulp, never have I liked that smirk. "Sorry, Linky, but we're teleporting. You don't need to break this for Denial here," she jerks her head at Sheik, who rubs his temple and mutters under his breathe.

"I'm not in denial."

"Keep telling yourself that," the Twili says as she picks me up. I close my eyes and she teleports to the other platform, stopping in front of a large stone block. I look back at Sheik and furrow my brow in worry as I see him struggling to get across. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when he makes it over and we go up to the block. "Well, don't just stand there, let's push this!"

I smile inwardly to myself and go beside my old friend as she puts her hands on the block. Sheik walks to my other side and we start pushing. We're easily able to push it out of the way and we come to a moving stone platform we can use to get over to the next spot. It's simple to get there and we come to yet another platform with holes and cracks.

We go up the ruined stairs and I blink when I see rusty fences, I really hope they don't break when we walk on them. Sheik starts walking and I head after him, careful to step on the chain-links so my paws don't get stuck in the gaps, when a Peahat comes from nowhere and slams into me, making me lose my footing and get my front left paw stuck.

'Oh-no,' I think as I tug my leg, looking up at the Peahat as it comes at me again, this time with its blades extended. 'Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap!' I tug harder, but it only hurts my leg.

It comes close and I duck as it flies forward, stopping right above my head. I look up and bite the root on the bottom before it can fly off again, and this is quite possibly the stupidest thing I could ever have done. The Peahat flies up, and my paw comes out, but I can't let go before it's high in the air, probably trying to find me again.

'Oh Goddess,' I think, trying to get an idea. There's not much I can come up with other than attack with my claws, so here goes nothing. I scratch at the Peahat's root and it jerks away, trying to get me off, but I hold on as hard as I can and finally scratch it enough times. It starts to fall and luckily it hits the ground before me, so I just bounce off and land on the fence again. A shadow covers me and I look up, smiling sheepishly when Sheik looks at me with an 'are you serious?' look.

"You just love getting into trouble, don't you?" he asks as we start walking again, avoiding two snake-like things of fire.

'Nope, but it loves finding me,' I think.

"No kidding," Midna says.

I'm about to retort when the fence we're on shakes violently, making me fall over and Sheik stumble. "What was that?" he wonders.

I shrug, but then I see a person floating in the clouds above us. The only thing I can make out is a red cape before a blast of magic is thrown at us. Normally I would have just backed away and dodged it, maybe shaking, but my puppy mind seems to like taking over my body. I really do try not to, but I run from the magic, which is chasing me.

"Link! Stop running!" Sheik snaps and thankfully I stop, but unluckily, the magic doesn't. It slams into me and I'm sent flying onto the stone platform coming off of the fence. I dizzily get to my paws and shake my head, looking up to see the fence starting to dissolve, with Sheik still standing on it.

'Sheik!' I mind-yell as he's forced to another platform. My mind races when the clouds move in and I can't see him. Oh-no. 'Sheik?' I ask, hoping he can hear me, but more clouds come in and obstruct my view around me. My puppy mind makes me crouch back and put my tail between my legs, but I quickly shake it off and look around. 'If I can't see, I'll just sniff,' I think and smell the ground.

I come to the edge of the platform and go down the stairs, but I trip forward and roll down the rest, back slamming into a broken torch. I get to my paws and look up at the torch to see it has a small fire in it, a stick at its base. I pick the stick up and put my front paws on the torch side to stand on my back paws and try to get the stick lit, but I can't quite reach it.

I look around and spot a box near the edge. Careful not to fall, I push it to the base and get the stick again, lighting it in the flame. I get down and smile to myself when the fire helps burn away the cloud, but soon it dies out and I'm covered in droplets. 'That was helpful,' I think sarcastically as I throw the stick away. I look over all the edges, but all I can see is an endless void of clouds.

Who was that person? And are the other two okay?

I really hope so.

I faintly see a switch and start to go towards it, but my paws meet air and I try to scramble back when something pulls my tail, helping me back to solid ground. I look behind me to see a Poe and jump away from it, growling when it swings its scythe. I easily jump to the side, dodging the weapon, and attack the Poe, sending it into the switch and making it go off.

Heh, awesome. I smirk to myself and quickly get across the bridge, nearly having a heart attack when a rolling pillar with spikes goes by. I run in front of it, but it's much faster than I expected. I yelp when the ground leaves from under me and I find myself sitting in a hole, regaining my breath.

"AHH!" the scream makes my ears perk up and suddenly I get a face full of feathers. "Ouch, my talon," the bird complains and I grunt, making it jump and land on my stomach.

I lift my head to see a magpie looking me over with beady black eyes. "Well, I have never seen a wolf pup like you before, or a pup way up here in the clouds. You're as lost as you can be!"

The magpie looks up and sees the pillar move over the hole. She jumps back and hits me in the face with her wing. "Great, where in this hole. Don't worry kid, we can easily get out of this," she says and rolls me over before picking me up in her talons. Once the pillar passes, she flies out and puts me down on the next platform that has spikes sticking out of the ground.

"Now, you don't have to explain a thing, I saw you coming in with your friend and I will give you this one warning while finding him," she says, making sure I'm looking at her. "Stay clear of the one in red, he has bad intentions, I can feel it," and with that, the magpie flies off without a second look back.

'One in red?' I wonder. Could they be in relation with the 'man in red?' or are they one and the same? I shake my head, there's not time to think on that, I need to get going.

I see another broken bridge and walk over to the next platform, there isn't much here, just some spikes. Three broken pillars come up behind me, trapping me in, and I look around with narrowed eyes to see a figure in the clouds. It moves forward and I blink at the thing. It looks like a slimy blob, it's tall, maybe about the size of a full-grown man, and is continually oozing disgusting-looking liquid.

It comes at me and I easily run to the side, it's rather slow, and growl at it before jumping.

Bad mistake.

It stretches out, letting me see a gaping hole for a mouth, and eats me, squishing me with its just-as-slimy insides. I struggle to break free, but it crushes me harder. I spot something at the bottom and see it's a small orb, is that it's weak spot? Worth a shot I guess. I let myself be taken down and claw at it, but it doesn't affect it much.

'I can't believe I'm doing this,' I think before biting down. 'Oh Goddess this tastes gross!'

The thing lets out a long, loud moan and spits me out, making me slam into the ground. I pick myself up and shake myself as I back flip away. How can I fight this? I can't get too close, or it will eat me, and I don't feel like getting eaten every time I want to cause damage to it. Maybe I can flip it over somehow? Or get it to fall on its side?

It rushes at me again and I run around it in circles, seeing if I can make it dizzy. It doesn't work, now that I think about it, it doesn't have eyes, and it swallows me again. I look down to see the orb protected by a coat of its slime, great, now what? It crushes me again and starts to send me down, there has to be a way I can kill it without getting the taste of decay and garbage in my mouth.

I kick at the orb, making the thing groan, and an idea forms. If I can get something really heavy in here, it can crush it and I won't have to take this trip! The second I finish this thought, the thing spits me out again and I quickly get to my feet, ignoring the slime running down my fur and skin. I look around and spot a rock, I need to get it to eat that.

Smirking to myself, I turn to the thing and taunt it, making it come at me. I stand in front of the rock, getting ready to jump to the side. It lunges at me, but I dodge and it eats the rock. It groans in pain once it does, and it spits the rock out, almost hitting me. I let it come at me as I backup towards the spikes, here we go. It moves and I roll away as it impales itself.

It melts into a puddle and I finally get the taste in my mouth. 'GAH!' I spit and sputter, desperately trying to get rid of the vile taste. Once I do, I see a chest appear in the middle and look up at it, great, now I gotta open it. I get on my back paws and do my best to push the lid up, but I can only get it up a little. Huffing, I walk over to the rock from before and roll it up to the chest, stepping on that and opening it that way.

Once it's open enough, I jump into the chest and am about to get what's inside when the chest closes, making my head snap up. My eyes quickly adjust to the darkness and I look up, annoyed at myself for not making sure the lid would fall _back_, not close again. I sigh and look down at my paws, spotting a black bracelet with spikes all over it.

Maybe I could wear this as a collar for now? I wonder what it does.

'Only one way to find out,' I tell myself and pick it up with my nose before tossing it in the air. I get it over my head and around my neck the first try. I wait for a few seconds, I don't feel any different. I groan in frustration and hit my head on the side of the chest.

To my utter surprise, my skull bashes the chest open and it falls to pieces around me. I stick my head out of the pile and look down at the bracelet/collar, so it gives me more strength? Awesome.

Nodding, I walk out from under the chest and look around, now how do I get back? Suddenly the collar flashes and I close my eyes from the brightness, when I look down again, I see it's now white with silver wind streams going around it. What?

"I see you've found my bracelet," I look up to see a blurry, transparent person floating above my head. The person floats down and bends to my height. "Young one, I am Galore, Demy Goddess of the skies," I blink in awe as she parts the clouds around us, letting me see her.

Her hair is snow white and she looks about twenty or something, she wears a storm cloud grey dress and her eyes are different colour, one silver, the other black. She's tall, about Twili tall, and she smiles at me kindly. "That bracelet you wear, it is mine when I was living in Hyrule. But those days have long passed, and I haven't any need for this. My bracelet will allow you two things, strength and the ability to jump farther and glide for a time. You can change it at will and any time you need more power, or need to clear a jump, just think about it and this will change," she explains, rubbing behind my ear, somehow seeming solid despite her appearance. "I trust you to use it well, goodbye, young Hero," she says and disappears into the clouds.

'…Cool,' is all I can really think as I go to the edge of the platform. 'So if I think about gliding, I can go over these gaps?' I take a running jump and feel, not magic, but some force helping me clear the gap. 'This will go a lot smoother now.'

I look around and spot a cloud above me, getting a small vision of someone using a white cape to jump up and to a higher spot in this Temple-like place. I shake my head and smile to myself, thank you past lives. I crouch down low and feel the force-like energy flow through me (I'm so happy it's not magic), and jump up, amazed at how high I can now get.

Look out Palace of Wind, you're not going to best me!

I make it to the top and find there are no clouds making it hard to see, which is good. I hope I bump into the other two up here, but I'm not too worried, they can both handle themselves fine. I jump off the cloud I'm on, how I'm able to do this is beyond me, and I see some light blue Chu-Chu Jellies that look like they have faces other than just being blobs.

One comes at me and I jump at it, only to get electrocuted when it creates sparks around itself. That's never happened before. I shake myself off, trying not to laugh when my fur sticks out everywhere, and kill the Chu-Chu before it can cause me any major damage. I deal with the other one quickly and continue walking down the path until I come to another gap. With Galore's Bracelet, I easily jump it and the one after and come to a spot with stone blocks and more of those glowing tiles.

I push the smaller stone blocks out of the way and see I need to hit four switches at once. I look at the tiles and think, 'If I can still use my Spin Attack as a wolf, can I…?' I try it, but fail miserably, only tripping over my own paws. Good, didn't want to use magic anyway.

I walk to the switches and sit in the middle of them, careful not to get too close to some broken holes and cracks. There has to be something I can do…

A screech comes and I spin around to see a Lizalof jump down, it screeches again and jumps forward, slashing out with its sword. I know! I'll get it to hit two of the switches for me! Like I did with the thing I fought before I got the bracelet, I stand in front of two of the switches, waiting for the Lizalof to make its move.

It slashes and I jump to the side, hitting the other two switches and opening a door. 'Thanks!' I think to it, even if it can't hear me, and run through the door just before it closes. I start walking down the path when a gust of wind comes and blows me off. Luckily the magpie comes and puts me back on the platform.

"You ought to be more careful kid, these wind turbines still work as good as ever here," she warns and flies off again.

'Is she stalking me or something?' I wonder as the turbine stops. I run passed it to find another turbine. I hide in a small hole just before the gust pushes me off, and come back out after it's done. I step in front of the next one and let it take me to the other side, since that's the only way I can get there.

I walk down the next path, careful to watch for the turbines, and come to another spot with an old carpet and two of the turbines blowing at the same time. I rush at the hole and make it in, my tail blowing back as the wind catches it. The second it stops, I jump up and manage to get onto the risen part above them with the help of the bracelet.

I come to another set of fences and, just like before, I'm careful not to get my paws stuck. It's not too long and I come to a hole in the fence, with ground right under it. I jump down and come to another fence with a hole, jumping up onto it. I come to another hole and see a single rock platform moving under it. Oh boy, I'll need to be accurate with this. I go down and land on it, thank Nayru, but now there's a rusty gate-like thing on the fence, how can I get through that.

I feel the rock shake under my paws and jump up with surprise, becoming even more surprised when I jump through the gate. One of my more lucky moments. I walk the rest of the fence and come to more clouds with a Guay guarding them. It flies at me but I ignore it and jump up the clouds.

I come to more glowing tiles and a fast moving platform. I almost fall when trying to get on it. I get on and move out of the way of some rocks before coming to another platform. I find the way clear and see two slow moving platforms with plenty of holes. I get on one, and see some rocks in my way, so I glide to the other. I repeat this proses about four more times before coming to the next platform.

I jump up through a hole in another fence and see another platform going to another hole. This is starting to get repetitive. I just ride it to the last hole and come to another spiked pillar and some holes. I easily glide over it and go into the hole in the wall, which probably used to be a lot smaller, but now has caved in, letting me go through. I come out to a small area of a room that's walled off from the rest and go through the already open door. Why do some stay open and others close? Weird.

I walk through and jump across the gap between the platform in front of me and get to the other side easily. I find a stray key and pick it up before finding myself back at the moving spike pillar. I jump over it and open the locked door there, quickly going through before the pillar can hurt me.

'And some more clouds,' I think, jumping up.

Jumping off the last cloud, I notice some Moblins roaming around. That's weird, why would they be here? Is there more happening here than just me getting the Wind? I shake my head and sneak passed them, but one spots me and picks me up by my ruff. It grunts and sniffs me, but seems to find nothing wrong since it puts me down.

Then it steps on my tail. I let out a howl of pain before shooting forward, tugging my tail out from under his foot. I keep running until I come to another turbine and a gap. I look at my tail to see the last inch bending the other way and wince, that's going to hurt a _lot_ tomorrow.

Gliding across the gap, I come to more broken and cracked flooring and jump from platform to platform before any break. I come to more clouds and sigh, when will these stop? I look around me to see the sun starting to set, I'll need to get some rest, by puppy metabolism isn't that great.

I jump onto the lowest cloud and curl up into a ball, soon falling asleep.

'Not another dream,' I groan as I look around. I'm Hylian again, which I like very much, but I don't recognize where I am. It's some sort of castle, that much I can tell, and the room I'm in seems to be a throne room, the dark pillars holding up the high ceiling and the carpet is stained with blood, both old and new. The doors open and by instinct I hide behind a pillar, peeking out from behind it to see Zant walking up to the throne, someone behind him.

'Zelda,' I feel my eyes grow wide as I watch my friend walk behind the tyrant Twili, not bind or anything. 'What are you doing Zelly? Run!' I think, heart beating too quickly for my liking.

"I've brought you the girl, you're spell worked. Now, I do get the Twilight Realm, right?" Zant asks the person on the throne. I can't see anything of the person.

"Yes, you will. But not yet, first we must be rid of any nuisances that will stop us from our goal," the man says, his voice calm and deep. And it sounds familiar…

"Of course, I will go look for them, do you wish for me to bring them here?" Zant asks.

"Throw them in the dungeon when you do. We don't want to risk them getting away."

As Zant leaves the room, everything fades and becomes dark.

My head shoots up from my paws and I pant as I look around, the dream slipping from my mind like water until I can't even remember what it was about. I hate it when that happens, now that's going to bug me for the rest of the day.

After a few minutes of waking up, I jump up the rest of the clouds to find they don't lead somewhere else, but seem to be the only way for me to glide across to the other side. I do just that and go up some stairs to find more fences but find myself at a dead end and am forced to go back.

I jump to the next platform to find more clouds and come to the top to see I need to glide to the next platform like before. This time the clouds I climb lead me up to the floor above. I jump off and kill some Keese that come at me and go through the door. It closes behind me and the room becomes dark, only heavy footsteps are heard.

Eyes narrowing, I look at my surroundings to see the image of a Stalfos at the end of the room. I growl as I go over to it and it turns, slamming its sword into the ground beside me. I jump away and come back to bite it on the leg, making it cry out in pain and lift its leg to shake me off.

I fly into the wall and groan as I sit up, dazed from the collision. I shake my head to get rid of the daze and get to my paws, thinking about the power I'll need. Like the Sky Goddess said, the bracelet flashes and changes back to the black with spikes I found it with.

The Stalfos jumps over my head and hits my side with the flat side of its sword, sending me tumbling across the floor. The wall on the other end stops me and I charge at the skeleton warrior, head down. I jump and head butt its middle, knocking it off balance before I bash its head in. The bones erupt into green flames and the torches in the room light up as a key falls on my head.

I pick it up and carry it to the locked door to the side, behind me is the big door indicating where the boss is, but I don't have that key yet. I unlock the door and go in to find another locked door to my right and a doorway on the other side of the room, Blade Traps waiting in the corners.

Taking a deep breath, I run forward and the Blade Traps move, luckily my tail gets out of the way just in time. I wince when I look at my tail, it's really going to hurt later. Shaking my head, I go through the doorway to find some dull glowing tiles and four switches. I easily hit them all and go through the next door. The next room has a turbine, but it's not blowing, that is until I step on the switch to the side.

The next room is simply a hole filled floor and a door on the other side. I glide over and find another spot with a turbine not turned on. I ride the wind and push a block out of the way to find a key under it. I find that I'm back at the platform I was at before this and unlock the door.

I walk in and finally find the Boss Key in the chest. Letting out a small sigh, I take the key, which is about as big as me, and go back to the door. I find some pots, but nothings in them and I see an arrow made out of the tiles in the floor, making an arrow. 'So this place is just telling me where to go, even if I already know? Talk about useless,' I think, going to the edge to look around.

Suddenly the floor under my paws collapses and I howl as I fall through the sky.

I land on a floating platform and moan as I shakily get to my paws, looking around to see clouds everywhere, keeping me from seeing again. I hear someone swear loudly from above and look up in time for something to fall on top of me.

-Earlier, Sheik's POV-

"Oh great! Now Shorty's alone over there!" I kick the clouds around me in an attempt to get them away.

"Didn't know you cared that much," Midna smirks as she comes out of my shadow, looking around in the clouds.

"I _don't_ care that much," I say, looking away with crossed arms. "She's just an ally."

"Sure she is," the Twili rolls her eyes before walking forward. "Well, let's go. We're not going to find her again if we just stand around and wait for more crap to happen."

I roll my own eyes and start walking as she goes back into my shadow. Why does she keep pushing that I like Link that much?

_Maybe because you do_, the annoying voice in the back of my head whispers.

I shake my head, I am not going to get into another internal argument with myself! I easily jump the gap that opens up in front of me and land on a platform with more holes and broken tiles.

I come to more solid ground and blink in confusion when I see something far ahead, it looks slightly like a building. I run towards it and find my guess right, a large, dome-like ruin stands before me, towering over everything. I push the old, creaky door and come into a large, dark and dusty room, small Skulltulas running away from me as I walk in.

I cough a few times as I go to the middle, a large stone plaque is standing in the center and I can faintly read the ancient text of Old Hylian.

_History re_, the next _ starts, and the cy_ is ete_. From the _ginning, one rises to _, shrouding the land and _ing to take, one gu_ the sa_ item with their life, making _ to stop the plot_, and one comes out from _, no id_ what is in s_, no _e what is to _me, and they b_ and _e scar_ with the t_s they _. _

_As th_ _cle c_s, every _ years they come, ne_er _mbering their _, but always m_ to take _ of the f_. I k_ this will happen _, and _he_ _ _, he did not get _ he _, and he is not _ to quit. I pray that t_, the ones re_ from _e and the C_ _ro, can stop him on_ _, be_or_ he r_iv_s h_s m_te_._

_The _ I kn_w is r_a_ng t_s, please war_ _m of _emo_ Lo_d G_, he is o_ to _ring _e_i_ _ack again, des_ _ise only u_ing him. He w_ll erase the mind of the De_on K_, and ma_e the w_ld a w_land wh_e on_y Dem_ c_n live. If this is m_ or my _d's de_nda_ts, _isten well, th_e words mu_ be bu_t into yo_r _ind_, be pre_ar_ for wh_n he re_s. If th_s is _o_ min_ or _y fr_nd's de_ants, th_n _arn them a_ soo_ as y_u ca_. Please, warn them…_

I blink, reading the text again, the faded symbols making it hard to read anything. All I can really get out of this are a few small words. It's like someone actually came here and took some symbols so no one could read it.

"This is just weird," Midna mutters as she leans on the text, looking at the ground to think. "Do you get the feeling that someone doesn't want us to know what this is saying?"

"Yes, some are faded, but others look like the Hylian was forcibly taken out," I nod.

"Wonder what this person means by warning someone, who are we warning? And what are we warning them about?"

"We might never know. We'd better go, we need to find Shorty," I say, the text running through my mind.

When I don't hear Midna coming, I turn to see her writing the text down on a piece of paper she got from her pocket. "Good thing I had some paperwork to do," she smirks at me as she writes. "There, maybe Zelda can make it out."

"Hopefully," I add as she goes into my shadow. I walk out the side door and come to another rusty fence, easily killing the Peahats and Guay that are flying around. I come to another ruin and step in for the door to slam shut and the room becomes dark. I take out my chain and get it ready, eyes darting around the room for any signs of danger.

I step forward and a roar bellows out through the room before a Moblin jumps down from the roof, holding a metal shield along with a spear. The pig-dog beast snorts and charges, but I easily jump over its head and send my whip at it.

What I don't count on is that it's not alone.

The staff of another spear hits me over the head and I jump away before I can be stabbed through my stomach. I sigh in annoyance as both Moblins advance, why do they always have to be in groups? It's like they know they're too stupid to do things on their own.

One Moblin tries to shield bash me, but I roll under its legs and throw two knives at the back of its head, making it stumble forward and hit the wall. The other Moblin swings its spear to the side in an attempt to hit me, but I jump up and stand on the staff, running up it to kick it in the face.

I jump off and roll to the side when the Moblin stomps its foot, trying to kill me by crushing me. I reach back and take out a Deku Nut, slamming it into the ground before using my chain to pull me up by the old chandelier on the roof. The Moblins look around stupidly for a few seconds before I hear wings flapping. I turn my head to see a Helmaroc flying at my level.

It slams into me and knocks me off, but luckily I still have a hand on the chandelier, letting me hang from it. But unluckily the Moblins heard the attack and are now looking at me, being their stupid selves to see if I'll let go. I take a dagger out of my belt and drop it. It pierces one Moblin right between the eyes and it falls back, blowing up once it hits the ground.

_Now let's see if this Moblin's just as stupid_, I think and drop another dagger, but the lone Moblin lifts its shield and the dagger bounces off. Great, it's when they learn new tricks that they get annoying. Again the Helmaroc comes around and slams into me, trying to get me to fall, and it comes back around when I don't.

Instead of slamming into me, it lands on the chandelier and starts to peck at my hands. I swat it away, but it just hops, flaps its wings for a few seconds, and comes back down to peck me again. Stupid bird. I get my chain and whip it at the bird, but it flies off and grabs the other end, flying away with it.

"Good job," Midna says sarcastically.

"Oh shut up," I say and kick the Helmaroc as it comes back. "I still have my knives."

"Hum, knives versus spear and shield, I wonder who will win?" she remarks.

"I said shut. Up," I grit my teeth.

"And I'm saying you're an idiot for getting your weapon taken. Looks like you have something in common with Link after all, she misplaced her sword once and got bitten by a Ice Keese for it, took her two hours to break out of her frozen state."

I look up with a deep sigh, doing my best not to lose my temper. "Will you stop it? I don't like Shorty!" I say.

"De-ni-al!" she sings and I'm about to retort when the Helmaroc bites my hand.

Mentally punching myself for not paying attention to the fight, I swing the chandelier and making the bird fall off and get impaled by the Moblin's spear. Good, one less thing to worry about.

Now to deal with the Moblin. I look up at the chandelier's base and an idea forms. Perfect. I climb back onto it and take out a knife before unscrewing it from the roof. It falls, me with it, and lands on the Moblins head, stopping around its neck as I find myself sitting on its shoulders.

It goes into a blind rage and crashes out of the ruin, taking me along for the ride. I manage to get control of where it's going and make it jump the gaps to the next ruin. It crashes through the wall and I jump off as it falls down a hole and into the sky, roaring all the way as it falls. It's times like these that I thank my teachers.

Then the thought of what happened butts in and reminds me of why I hate them.

"Well that was fun to watch," Midna says as she comes out of my shadow, stretching as we look around. The ruin we're in is octagonal and has a broken lantern hanging off the ceiling above the hole. There isn't much else about it, in fact it's rather dull looking.

The air suddenly becomes cooler and I look out of a broken wall to see the sun starting to set. "Well, no used trying to find Link in the dark," Midna says.

I sit down and lean back on the wall, mind drifting off to what Midna keeps bringing up.

Do I really care that much about Link? I will admit that I do like bickering with her, kind of like good friends, and it's good to talk to a girl who doesn't go on and on about finding a lover. But there's still absolutely no way that I like or love her. I just can't. Some things can't be let go.

Why am I thinking so much about that lately? It hasn't crossed my mind much, but now I'm remembering it all the time.

And why do I know I'm lying to myself? I do know what I feel, I do know what this is, but there's no way that it could work. She's still afraid of a part of me, and there's no way she could like me like that.

And there's one question that's been on my mind for a while, who was that girl at the party? The one I danced with? Lora. I still don't know why she kept reminding me of Link. It must have been her eyes, the same shape, colour and emotions. And when I caught her when she tripped, she felt…right in my arms, exactly like when Link was pushed by Jabu-Jabu-

My jaw drops slightly, for the love of Din's bloody Hell! I danced with _Link_ that night! I almost kissed her! Farore's Spirit! I rub my forehead, calling myself stupid for not seeing it before. She probably doesn't even know it was me.

I shake my head, that doesn't matter. I didn't kiss her, I didn't know who she was, so I don't like her.

Again, here's that feeling like I'm not being true to myself. I sigh and lean my head back, soon falling asleep with a jumbled mind.

Oh great, now I'm dreaming. I look around the room I'm in, everything's dark and the carpet looks like it's stained in blood. How welcoming.

I hide behind a pillar when the door opens and Zant walks in, going up to a throne where a shadow of a man is sitting. Why is Zelda following him? She's not bind at all and she can easily run. Something's definitely wrong.

"I've brought you the girl, you're spell worked. Now, I do get part of Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, right?" Zant asks the person on the throne. I slowly move closer so I can see them. Once I do, I find a man with snow white skin, grey diamonds running down his arms, legs and torso, white hair and black eyes, all he's wearing is a red cape.

"Yes, you will. But not yet, first we must be rid of any nuisances that will stop us from our goal," the man says, his voice calm and deep. I know I've heard that voice before, but where?

"Of course, I will go look for them, do you wish for me to bring them here?" Zant asks.

"Throw them in the dungeon when you do. We don't want to risk them getting away."

As Zant leaves the room and I try to get a better look at the man before everything blurs and disappears.

I blink my eyes open to find the sun rising, that's odd, I haven't had a dream for a long time. But like any other dream I've had, it slips from my mind. I try to remember it, but the more I try, the more it leaves. Soon, I can't remember a thing about it, which irritates me to no end.

"Ready to go, Denial?" Midna asks.

"Stop calling me that, I'm not in Denial!" I snap, I'm not a morning person.

"The first step is knowing it, the second is accepting it. You've done neither of them yet, which just raises your denial," she states.

Clenching my fists, I walk out of the ruin to find my chain on the ground. I hear a caw and look up to see the image of a magpie flying off. I'll never understand animals.

I pick my weapon up and start to head out to see some clouds in the distance, do I see something jumping on them to get higher? Guess it's worth a shot. I use the wall of the ruin, and jump to the lowest cloud above me, surprisingly enough, I'm able to stand on it.

I easily jump up the clouds and come to a small platform when I spot Link open a large door with a lock that's bigger than her. I chuckle at that and jump onto the next platform as she opens the door. I follow after and find the room empty, where did she go?

The floor suddenly collapses under my feet and I gasp as I start falling. I slam down on my back and grunt when I hit. What is under me? It feels soft and broke some of the fall.

"Hey Denial, are you going to get of Link? Or are you going to keep crushing her?" Midna comes out and I jump to my feet and look down at Link, who's glaring up at me coldly as she gets to her paws.

"Don't look at me like that, I can't control where I fall!" I snap.

'You still could have gotten off me faster, Jerk,' she mutters and shakes her fur.

"I'm not a morning person, Shorty," I roll my eyes.

-Link's POV-

I'm about to retort when I hear someone in the clouds. I look around and jump slightly when a laugh comes from above our heads. "I see you've finally arrived," the familiar voice from my dreams says as the person lands in the clouds, still keeping himself concealed in them. "I was starting to worry that you would never come."

"What do you want?" Sheik demands.

"To bring back the King of my people. To make my people take over. To redeem myself from what happened thousands and thousands of years ago."

"You want the New Hyrule," Midna accuses.

"Well, you catch on _much_ quicker than that other Twili. He still has no clue what he's going to do once I'm finished with him," the man laughs cruelly.

"Zant you mean."

"Is that his name? I can never remember, since I don't really care at all. Yes, I do mean him. To revive my master, I must get help from others. And I found the spirit of the Twili deep in the Twilight Realm, striking a deal with him. I would revive him, if he went and got what I asked for."

"And what did you promise him once he got what you wanted?" Midna asks.

"I didn't promise anything, I told him I would let him have your Realm, Twilight Princess, but I don't really care for your home, so he's merely playing a pawn in all this," the man says, turning away from us. "Once I am finished with him, let's just say we won't take over anything."

"You said you needed help from others, that means you have more than just him and your people working with you," Sheik says.

"You catch on fast too. Yes, I do have more help. Help from a powerful ally is wonderful, especially when I met this ally in Termina."

'Termina?' I wonder.

"But I won't go into detail about that," the man turns back to us. "Now, mind telling me where the blasted Hero is? I need to be sure he doesn't intervene."

I narrow my eyes and see Sheik jerk slightly for some reason. I feel the man's eyes fall on me and I growl, daring him to come closer. "So, this is what happened to you? Magic certainly is wonderful, is it not?" I can hear the smirk in his voice as my growl falters at the word 'magic.'

"Don't even think about it," Midna threatens him by raising her hand, I force myself to stay still when she summons a small mist of magic around her fist.

"But I am thinking about it, and now I know that I can easily get rid of him now that he's a defenceless pup," the man laughs, I can see his arms crossed.

Then the platform shakes and something slams down on it. "Hey, you done messing with him yet? I wish to kill him," the voice of a woman, slightly screechy and high-pitched, comes from the tall-looking figure in the clouds.

"No, you cannot kill him yet. We still need to give him to my master," the man says with an irritated sigh. Seems like this lady keeps asking him that.

"Gaah! Let me get him now, then we can just throw him into the dungeon and be gone with that crazy _thing_ of a man," the woman groans.

"Shut it and let me deal with him," the man stresses.

'Something tells me they don't get along,' I think.

"What was your first clue?" Sheik whispers so they don't hear us.

"Why don't you shut up and go, I can do this just fine on my own," the man says.

"Fine, ruin my fun why don't cha? I'll deal with you later," I feel the woman's eyes bore into me before she flips off the platform.

'Great, I can already tell she's crazy,' I think to myself.

"Now, you'll be coming with me, Hero," the man steps forward but Midna sends a blast of magic at him. It takes all my strength not to hide behind Sheik.

"Oh no, I'm not done with asking you questions yet," the Twili says. "Why did you destroy the old Hyrule?" she asks.

"Why? Can't my people have a place to call their own?"

"Yes, but you didn't have to run out every other race!" Midna snaps.

"Oh, but I did. People don't like Demons, so I had to get rid of the people problem. Once everything was out of the way, my people got a home. And with all the wilted plants, we don't have to worry about others coming to take it."

"Not many Hylians like Gerudo either, but we've managed to grow beside them since Ganondorf's defeat," Sheik says.

"Ganondorf? I've heard of him, got beaten by more kids than I care to count. He's of no concern to me, all I care about is reviving my King and taking over the land you call home."

"'Why?'" me and Sheik ask, though he doesn't hear me.

"So my people can have more to own. My warriors grow stronger and more aggressive each day, and with the help of those Mythical Monsters, nothing will be able to stop me," he laughs again.

"You're the one who brought them here?" Midna asks, eyes narrowing further.

"Yes, I read about them in an old book I found, they lived in this land a long time ago, before even the Goddesses came. But they grew extinct when their minds were taken by the dark clouds of the chaos. I went to the time before that, recruiting willing fighters into my army and promising them land and anything they find, they keep. Those less eager to join were forced here by a portal I created, and I started the planning. Even now, more and more of those creatures are coming into my army, and we will fight and take Hyrule. And even if you try to fight, you're armies are nothing compared to mine!"

'So he's the one who forced those creatures like Felix and Cerberus here, and he's created an army with them,' I think to myself, feeling anger boil inside me.

"And who exactly are you?" Sheik asks, taking out his chain-whip.

"Me? I am the most powerful Demon under my King, I am the one who has created the best army and the best Demon City in existence," he steps out of the clouds and onyx black eyes glow from shroud.

Gery: *dodging any flying projectiles* I'm sorry! I could resist! It was just too good a thing to pass up. Okay, still sorry about the late-ish chapter. I think I've mentioned this before, but I have never played Minish Cap (but dame to I wanna!) so for the past three days, other than being busy, I've been watching let's play after let's play of the game so I could know where the Palace of Wind was and what it looks like. That's basically the main reason why I'm late. Anyway, that aside, anyone watching the Olympics? If so, than what are you waiting to see? I watch basically anything with Canada or Australia, synchronized swimming and diving, gymnastics, horse jumping, archery and anything that's on except for the weight lifting. See ya! I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker!


	10. Chapter 9

To alfred pierce: Thank you! I like the pup Link too, it's fun to see her get so annoyed when people keep calling her cute. And apparently it wasn't so obvious with some people, which I kept finding funny.

To Amaya Night Rain: Yep! You get a cookie for getting that right!

To KitaiKnight97: Yeah, sorry for the wait. I'm the kind of person who gets a very large burst of something, but then have to take a short break in order to get new and better ideas. And thank you! I didn't actually think people would find this funny:D!

To LOZ-fangirl: Thank you! And don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing this. I just need the odd break in writing to get fresh ideas again:)

Alex: Where have you been?

Gery: Busy. I'll explain after the chapter. Disclamer!

Nura: Gery doesn't own Legend of Zelda, like we've been saying for about ten chapters now, but she does own OCs, the plot, and the Boss Monster that is in this chapter.

Gery: Canada got our first gold medal in the trampoline thingy! *throws hands in the air happily* And good soccer game, USisans! That was sure close, eh?

Chapter 9: The Demon, the Wind and Bonding

"_Me? I am the most powerful Demon under my King, I am the one who has created the best army and the best Demon City in existence," he steps out of the clouds and onyx black eyes glow from shroud._

"I am Demon Lord Ghirahim, and I will revive my master once again," he says and clears the platform of the clouds, reveling him as the man from my dreams.

That name…it sounds distantly familiar…kind of like when I met Vaati and Shadow the first time in that cell, but even more distant than that.

"You've most likely heard of me, since your ancestor was the one who prevented me from getting what I longed for," Ghirahim says to Sheik.

"I've heard some tales," he shrugs, bringing out his throwing knives.

The Demon Lord chuckles darkly, "You really think you can beat me? I am even more powerful than all those years ago when that Sky Child stopped me."

'Sky Child?' I wonder. Who is he talking about?

"I'll beat you into next week if you want me to," Midna offers.

Ghirahim rolls his eyes, not believing that. He should, I'd like to see this guy get blown to bits.

"You really are fools, it may be three to one, but look at you! A defenceless, useless pup," I growl, I can still make it so you can't have children. "A Sheikah who is obviously not completely trained," Sheik winces slightly as he clenches his fists tightly. "And a Twili who can't even fully control her people's power," Midna makes her magic bigger, and I have an inner conflict with the pup in me to not run away again.

"We can still fight you, and beat you," Sheik says, sounding more confident that he is.

"You have no idea what kind of power I've developed," Ghirahim shakes his head.

"'Power's not everything,'" Sheik and me say/think at the same time.

"But it sure helps. Now, to get rid of you," he grins at me and the fur on the back of my neck stands up as I crouch, growling.

He simply laughs and summons a tornado behind him, making my ears and tail fall. "Good thing my spy told me about your fear, it's much easier getting a Keese to listen in on something than doing it myself," he intensifies the tornado and Sheik and me glance at each other. So a Keese spied on us when we were telling each other's fear.

The Demon laughs and makes the whirlwind even bigger. Big enough to make me start to come towards it. I push my paws in front of me as I try to kick back, but the wind gets too strong for me in seconds. Before the other two can even move, I'm flying through the air and howl when Ghirahim grabs my broken tail, holding me by that.

'Not a chance!' I think and swing up, biting him on the arm. He drops me, probably more out of surprise than anything, and I yelp when I land on my rear, my tail under me. 'Okay, this is hurting a lot now,' I try to get up, but the force of the wind keeps me pinned to the ground.

A shadow covers me and I move my eyes up to see the Demon Lord standing there, glaring down at me with cold eyes. He reaches out to pick me up, but is knocked off balance when Sheik comes and kicks him in the back. "Why do I always have to save you?" he asks, picking me up and jumping away from the Demon.

'Believe me, I'm asking myself the same thing,' I tell him.

Ghirahim comes out of the clouds and slashes at us with his curved sword, but Sheik ducks under it and flips through the air to land back on his feet. He puts me down and takes out his knives as we go turn our backs to each other, trying to find the Demon Lord.

"Link, what did I say about fighting?" Sheik asks, glancing at me for a second.

'I can still bite him,' I think.

"He only dropped you out of surprise. When he comes out, you run and Midna and I will deal with him."

I look at him in disbelief, 'I can still fight!'

"You can, but you won't," he replies indifferently.

That's when Ghirahim comes out and Sheik pushes me aside before throwing his knives at the Demon. I tumble out of the way and growl in deep annoyance as Sheik pulls out his chain-whip and fights Ghirahim. 'I am not useless!' I mind-yell at him.

He ignores me as Ghirahim summons some glowing daggers, about to throw them when Midna comes up from behind him and hits him with a black fire. The Demon Lord hisses and teleports away, showing up behind me. I'm about to jump at him when Sheik throws a dagger at his face, but he ducks under it and kicks me through the air. I land on the ground and groan as I get to my feet, determined to fight.

But Ghirahim has other plans. He teleports to me again and steps on me, pinning me down as I struggle to get free. "Can't have you escaping," he says and makes a destroyed pillar fall onto my already broken tail. I grit my teeth as he pushes his foot off me and throws his daggers at Midna, who's trying to get to me.

I look back at my tail and try to pull, but a shooting, burning pain fills my tail and I let my head fall to the ground as I pant, why do I always get hurt in some way? Whether it's in a Temple or not?

I put my back paws on the pillar as I stand up and push, managing to roll it off, but with the pressure now off I get the full burn of the pain. I need to ignore it though, I need to help them. I look up and see Ghirahim stab Sheik through his shoulder, the Sheikah lets out a scream as he falls to the ground, blood pouring out of his wound.

I don't know what comes over me, it's like the wolf, not the puppy, in me wants to attack Ghirahim with all the strength I have, and it takes all my Hylian mind to make myself stop. Instead of just running in with no plan, I run in with a target. I bite Ghirahim on the back of the ankle, making him jump away as I let go. I stand in front of Sheik as I growl at the Demon, daring him to come any closer.

"Hey, Ghirahim!" we turn our heads to Midna, who's smirking with her arms crossed. "Remember, you didn't get all the Monsters on your side," after she says this, a familiar screech echoes through the clouds and the phoenix from Jabu's Temple flies in, burning the clouds away so we can see. The phoenix screeches and makes its feathers burst into flame as it charges at Ghirahim, and the Demon barely dodges.

The phoenix comes back around and makes a small storm of fire surround Ghirahim, who scowls and teleports into the sky. "Don't think this is the last time we meet, Hero," with that, the Demon Lord teleports away and I turn to Sheik, ears down in worry.

-Later-

"Great, now I need to look after both of you," Midna shakes her head as the sun sets. We haven't moved off the platform yet and Midna's fixing Sheik's shoulder.

"Don't blame me," he mutters, wincing when the needle Midna's using to close the wound pokes through his skin.

"You're the one who left yourself open."

"I was distracted," he turns his head away.

"And that's why you left yourself open," Midna concludes as she cuts the string. "That should do for now, you're lucky my mom made me sit through all those sewing lessons."

He just rolls his eyes and doesn't say anything. 'Aren't you lucky I bite him,' I think. 'If I had done what you said, you would have been killed.'

"Doesn't change the fact that you can't actually fight and cause much damage. And because you didn't listen you now have a broken tail."

I look back at my tail, grimacing when I see it. All I can do is wait for some potion or something and get it healed. 'It's a small price to pay,' I think, not looking at him. I curl up and let out a sigh as I relax, starting to fall asleep when I hear Sheik and Midna talking.

"So, are you out of denial yet?" Midna asks.

"I am _not_ in denial," Sheik stresses.

"Come on, admit it already! You like her." Who does he like?

"I do not! When well you understand I don't like her?" Sheik snaps. Who's 'her?'

"I can't understand, because you do like her. I've seen that look in someone's eye before."

"Midna, I'll only say this one more time. I do not like Link." My eyes become wide, good thing I'm facing away so they can't see I'm awake. "She's nothing but a girl who gets into trouble!"

For some reason, these words sting. I don't know why, but my heart hurts a lot at what he says. Am…am I really that much of a bother to him? I thought we were friends. Why wouldn't he like me?

"I know you don't like her," Midna says, and I close my eyes. So she knows too? "You love her." This time I suppress a gasp. No…he- he doesn't!

…Does he? Why would he…love me?

I hear him hesitate as he speaks, "N-no, no I don't."

Midna laughs, "If that stutter and blush isn't an indication, I don't know what is!"

"Like I just said, she's just a girl who likes trouble. I don't love…her." Despite the pause in his voice, my heart twists painfully. What's wrong with me? "Besides, even if I did love her, she wouldn't love me back."

"You never know unless you try," Midna says.

"I'm not saying anything. We'll stay the way we are, as friends," Sheik says stubbornly.

"So you admit she's not just an ally now?"

"Fine, you were right about that. But I only care about her as a friend, end of story." And with that, I hear him lie down as Midna goes into the shadows.

But the words linger on my mind. Does Sheik actually like me?

And…do I like him back?

-The Next Morning-

I wake up to feel fully rested. Did I not have a nightmare last night? That's nice. I get to my paws and yawn widely when I feel something weighing down my tail. I look behind me to see a bandage wrapped around my tail. Huh, guess one of the two did it.

"Finally, you're awake," I look up as Sheik gets to his feet. "C'mon Shorty, we need to get out of here today."

'Why do we need to?' I ask. 'Not that I don't want to.'

"We need to warn Zelda of Ghirahim, remember?" he asks and we head to the edge of the platform where a bridge is. It's actually not as bad as the others.

'Oh…right,' I think, wondering how I could have forgotten. We walk across the bridge and come to a dark room with only a few lit torches. After wandering around for a bit, we find some stairs and go up to see a path with barely any floor and the holes leading to the room below.

"Great. Why couldn't someone have come here and fixed this place up? Would have saved us a lot of problems," Midna remarks.

Used to her cryptic comments, I just smile slightly and trot forward, looking at the floor to make sure it doesn't break. Nothing looks cracked, so I keep going and come to the end of the hall, where the floor covers the last three tiles of the door. 'It's safe!' I mind-call.

"It'd better be," Sheik mutters and makes his way over. With this one part of luck, we go through the next room and I scramble back on my paws when I almost fall off. The room only has single, floating tiles all around and the door on the other side has no tiles in front of it. We'll have to jump to get into the next room.

'If it's not one thing, it's another,' I sigh. I crouch down and jump to the closest one, probably giving the other two heart attacks, and my paw slips slightly before I get my footing.

"Are you crazy?" Sheik asks.

'You don't want me to answer that,' I think to myself, getting ready to jump to the next tile. I make it about half-way before it breaks under me and I fall on top of a pyramid with a small chest. I push it open to find a key, and I remember seeing that door in the first room up the stairs. 'Guys, come down! I know where to go...ish,' I add as an afterthought.

"You've got to be kidding," I hear Sheik say.

'Nope, I'm not. Jump down already!'

"Aright, alright. Keep your fur on, Shorty."

'I will if you hurry, Jerk,' I retort and jump off the pyramid as he comes down. We unlock the door to find the floor of the next room nonexistent. We're able to get through the door to our left, and find the same problem, but there is a platform across from here that's still intact. 'Oh great, more getting picked up by Jerk,' I think and moments later, I get picked up.

Holy goat, I'm psychic (please note the heavy, _heavy_ sarcasm).

He swings us across with his chain-whip and we walk into the next room to see Keese, a Gibdo and the thing I fought before I got Galore's Necklace. "Oh great, a Like Like," Sheik mutters.

'What's a Like Like?' I ask.

"A Like Like is that thing, they can swallow people and take their stuff, like shields and tunics, and if they digest them before you kill them, you'll have to buy more," Sheik explains.

'So, I'm guessing nobody likes Like Likes?'

"I bet Like Likes like Like Likes," I can hear the smirk in Midna's voice.

'So, if Like Likes like Like Likes, then do likes like Like Likes?'

"Will you both shut up?" Sheik snaps.

'Too late,' I grin wolfishly when I see him take in a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Let's just kill it," he says through gritted teeth.

'It's fun messing with you, you know,' I tell him, killing a Keese.

"I've noticed. Midna won't stop," he glares at the Twili in his shadow.

"I'll only mess with you until you get over your denial," she says.

I look down a bit, have they been going on about the denial thing this whole time? And what is he in denial for? Liking me? Or-

**Hey a bone!**

I blink to myself. That was weird, where did that come from? I shake my head and look around to see a leg bone of what used to be a Stalfos.

In. My. MOUTH!

I spit it out quickly, and it looks like neither Sheik nor Midna saw me with it. Thank Nayru for that, never would have been able to live that down. But why did my mind go blank and dark? And where in Hyrule did I get that thought from?

Actually, now that I think about it, it sounded a lot like a child's voice. Maybe mine if I wasn't mute? I'm not sure, this doesn't make any sense.

Shaking my head again, and deal with another Keese before it can bite me while Sheik finishes off the Like Like that no one likes. With that done, we go down stairs to come to small, blocked in area. We go to the right and see nothing but a hole, so only one thing to do.

We jump down and we wait for a few seconds before two Stalfos come down.

**Oh more bones! **

I shake my head before running at one, head low and ready to smash the skeleton. With Galore's Necklace, I break through its legs, causing it to fall forward as dust and bone fragments fly everywhere. I stand on my front paws and kick the Stalfos' other leg as it tries to turn and hit me, and make it tumble to the ground where I head butt the back of its skull.

I flip out of the dust and nod to myself when I hear it blow up behind me, making the room all smoky. I shake myself as it clears to see Sheik, Midna, and even the Stalfos staring at me. I smile wolfishly, 'Am I useful yet?'

Snapping out of her shocked state, Midna blasts the other Stalfos into pieces. Sheik just stares at me, mouth agape and not saying anything. "Well," Midna says after a few long moments of awkward silence, "she sure proved you wrong, eh, Sheiky?" she laughs as she crosses her arms.

He lets out a long sigh. "Doesn't change the fact that she's a puppy."

"And that doesn't change the fact that she can't fight."

"You didn't think she could fight either!"

"That was _before_ I saw her wearing the Necklace of Galore," Midna smirks.

'Can we stop bickering yet? I'm starting to get a headache,' I run my forearm down my face, feeling a light buzzing in the back of my skull.

Midna looks at me with a piercing eye. "Are you okay, Link?" she asks.

'Eh? Yeah, I'm fine,' I say, shaking my fur as I get to my paws. We walk through the door on the left side of the room (Gery: it would be the right from the screen's POV, just to let you know), and find that we made a shortcut to the stairway where I had the bone in my mouth.

I still find that weird. When we go down the stairs this time, we go to the left and up, going through another door where two Wizrobes show up. My ears fall and I feel my tail go between my legs as I crouch, shivering in fear. They won't come at me like in Jabu's Temple, right? I sure hope not.

The first one, wearing a red robe, shoots a fire ball at Sheik and Midna, forcing them to jump apart as to not get burnt. I try to get away from the fire, but the other Wizrobe appears in front of me, this one wearing an icy blue robe, and freezes my paws to the ground. I tug my legs, but they're frozen to the ground. I look over my shoulder to see the fire ball racing towards me and duck just in time for it to fly over me, singeing the fur on my head black and making a small flame burn a bit of my ear, before hitting the other Wizrobe.

It shakes off the attack and snaps at the Fire Wizrobe, sending a freezing cold wind at it, but getting me caught in the middle. It feels like I'm back on Snowpeak, walking through that bloody snowstorm. I shiver at the memory, not one of the most fun times I've been through.

Once the ice wind stops, I shiver, not just with fear, but from the coldness of it. A shadow covers me, but before I can look up, a cold, clammy and rough hand picks me up by my ruff, bringing me to the face of the Ice Wizrobe. In shear panic, or maybe because my puppyness kicks in again, I kick it in the face with my back paw and it drops me. I manage to drop onto my stomach, as to not cause any more problems to my tail, thankfully.

"That's it," I hear Midna mutter. "Their weakness is each other, we need to get them to hit each other for them to be defeated."

'Sounds easy enough,' I think, standing up as I try, and fail, to get over my nerves from all the magic in this place.

"Alright, Shorty, this is one fight you won't be doing," Sheik states more than says.

Reluctantly, I look for a place to hide when I spot a hole in the wall. Being the best bet, I trot over and squeeze into the hole, making it so I can see what's going on fight-wise.

-Sheik's POV-

I'm just surprised she listened. She's been acting strange for a few hours now, at moments I see her eyes go slightly more wild and unfocused, the pupils becoming wider and darker, but not in a bad way, just like she momentarily forgets who she is. It's rather unnerving.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I flip over the Fire Wizrobe and send my whip at it, but pull it back before it makes contact, taunting the Wizrobe to fire at me. While I'm doing this, Midna's teasing the Ice Wizrobe with small, short shocks of her power, only enough to slightly stun it, and making it come after her with its hands raised for its spell.

The Wizrobes, , not seeing what we're doing, fire their spells at us, but Midna melts into my shadow as I jump into the air. The attacks sail under me and hit each other, causing an explosion to send the room up in smoke. Through the coughing and confusion, I feel something tug my leg. I look down to see Link, who's small enough to walk under the smoke, and she trots off with me not far behind.

We find ourselves in a room where a purple, decayed hand is crawling over the floor and is guarding a pull-switch. I knife it, and it retaliates by charging at us. I jump away from it, but Link, being the idiot she can be, jumps _on_to it and bites down on the back of the hand. It screeches inhumanly and the Hylian-turned-wolf leaps off before it multiplies into three smaller versions of itself.

I knife the first two, and am about to attack the third when it latches onto my throat and chokes me, pulsing green as it takes some of my energy. Once it has its fill, it detaches itself and grows to its original size. I rub my neck, where I can feel claw marks, as I bring out my whip and swing it at the hand.

Before the smaller versions of it can get far, Link runs around them, distracting them, while I hit them, killing them instantly.

With the hand gone, I walk to the pull-switch and, well, pull it, opening the door behind me. We go through and easily pass through a hallway before going up some stairs. We come to a room where we can go left or right, and, finding nothing left, we go right and find a hole we can get over.

I look at Link in time for the necklace to glow and become white instead of black before she glides over to the other side, sitting as she waits for me. Shrugging it off, since it will be easier for me, I jump over too and go up some more stairs to find a Stalfos and hand.

After killing them, we go through the hole in the wall, walk over a broken and almost fully gone platform, go through another hole and make our way through yet another door. We find nothing useful and keep going to find a key in a chest. We go back to the room with the holes in the wall when the floor collapses under us.

We land hard on our backs in front of a locked door, groaning as we stand up. "Note to self: Look at the floor!" Midna yells.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mutter and unlock the door. We make our way through a tiny maze and find ourselves on another part of the platform. Finding some clouds, we head up and see another large door. The boss will be behind that. "Ready, Shorty?"

'I'm always ready and never ready at the same time,' she replies as the Boss Key comes out of nowhere and fits into the lock. We find another possibly purple carpet that leads us to some stairs, but nothing is around.

Midna comes out, seeming just as confused as us. "Okay, so this is the last room, but where is this thing we're going to fight? These places never let us off easily," she says.

'I feel like something's watching me,' Link's eyes narrow as she watches the clouds.

-Link's POV-

I think I smell something, it smells like a mix between a long dead fish, and a wind of garbage. All-in-all, it just smells plain gross. Something makes the whole place rumble and I fight to stay on my paws as a large tentacle rises into the air. It looks like the tentacle that tried to drag Sheik down the other day.

The sky blue appendage slams into the floor, making it crumble away. Midna goes back into Sheik's shadow as me and him free fall. Suddenly we're stopped and bounce on some soft, slimy and scaly thing. 'What the-?' I wonder when the thing under us shakes, making Sheik grab me around the middle as he holds onto a scale.

"What is this thing?" he asks out loud as he stands up, putting me on the ground.

I only have time to shrug before we jerk again and I look down to see we're on the head of a weird, flying sea serpent. It has a fat body, but somehow manages to fly without wings, it has no eyes, the area where they're supposed to be is blank of anything but scales, its wide mouth is the only way for it to breath it seems, and three, long tentacles come out of the back of its head.

It roars loudly and manages to shake us off, but a smaller, even more ugly thing like it flies down and takes a swipe at us, giving us an opportunity to get on its head as it soars around the thing's head.

**Flying Serpent: Rologangdrum** (Gery: Rolo-gang-drum, it's pretty easy to understand, just break up the different names.)

The familiar, female-like voice echoes through my mind as Rologangdrum lets out another roar to the sky, lashing its fork-like serpent tongue around to taste the air. The Rologangdrum we're on spins, trying to throw us off, but I bite down on its skull, Sheik easily grabbing onto the scales, and we easily stay on. Sheik pulls out his knives and brings them down, stabbing through the Rologangdrum's scales and making is screech loudly as it flies into the bigger creature. We jump onto the larger Rologangdrum and hold on again, thankfully it doesn't notice us.

"We need a plan, and we need to find out its weakness," Sheik says.

'I don't know what that would be,' I think, peeking over the side and looking down its face to see the mouth gaping open.

"Here's an idea, instead of looking at where you'd _think_ the weak spot would be, look at where you wouldn't think it would be," Midna suggests.

Understanding, I look down the Rologangdrum's body to see a gem-like thing on the end of its tail. 'Might be the best bet for now,' I think and slowly start my way down, careful not to fall off as the Rologangdrum flies around, probably looking for us. Suddenly the Rologangdrum circles back and I find myself falling for a few seconds before its tentacle wraps around me and encases me in a dark cocoon of sorts.

Growling, I bite the tentacle but nothing happens other than my teeth aching from the hard scales. I put my paws over my jaw and whimper quietly, 'That was stupid.'

Suddenly the world starts moving, and I can only guess that the Rologangdrum is shaking me everywhere before I'm sent airborne. I land on another small Rologangdrum and growl as I dig my claws into its scales, determined to hang on. It turns fast and whips its tail, smacking me off, but I find myself pressed onto the big Rologangdrum's face, in the spot between its eyes if it had any.

It blows up and I'm sent flying again, summersaulting through the air before I remember I have Galore's Necklace. I flip over so I can use it and ride the air currents to the Rologangdrum's tail, landing on the gem before switching my flight for strength and head butting the gem. A long, low groan escapes the creature and it whips me off its tail, making me glide again as I see Sheik running down its body to the gem.

'At least he caught on,' I think, gliding to the top of the Rologangdrum's head.

Suddenly a tentacle shoots out and smacks me back, making me bounce down the tail before slamming into Sheik's back. He falls forward and I land in front of him as he picks himself up. "Thanks," he rolls his eyes, and stabs down into the gem. With a loud screech, the Rologangdrum starts falling, losing altitude quickly as Sheik grabs on while holding me.

'This is gunna be a rough landing,' I think as the ground starts to come into view.

"Don't worry you Triforce off," Sheik says. "We'll be fine."

'Wait, what about the wind of Farore?!' I look back at the sky palace.

"This thing can't fly on its own, it's too heavy. It must have Farore's Wind," Midna tells us.

'I was wondering how something like this could fly,' I think to myself, bracing for the impact that will come. As the ground gets closer and closer, I feel Sheik's arm around me tighten. Is he scared? Or is he trying to protect me or something?

I'm probably gunna go with protecting me. I'll let this one slide, since I can't grab onto anything.

The Rologangdrum's body hits the ground hard, sending up dust and rocks as Sheik and me fall off. Coughing as the dust clears, we look behind us to see the body slowly going dark. 'Why does everything blow up?' I wonder as we run from it before it can hurt us.

More rocks and dust cover us as a small sandstorm covers the rocky clearing we're in. I look at where the body was to see a small, floating green tornado slowly falling to the ground. Midna comes out of Sheik's shadow and, with a smirk, takes out a small black bag before letting the tornado go in. "And here it is, Farore's Wind. That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asks as she puts the bag under her robes.

"'Speak for yourself,'" Sheik and me roll our eyes and look at each other.

"Will you two stop saying things at the same time? It's getting weird," Midna says as she comes back over.

"'Not my fault,'" we glare at each other.

"Oy," she rubs her forehead. "Let's just go. Both of you are giving me a headache," she goes back into Sheik's shadow and we look around to find the tornado we used to get to the Palace of the Winds dying down before heading out of the path.

We walk in silence, out footsteps (paw steps) the only sound as we go. My mind keeps going back to Ghirahim and that woman who was with him. I can tell he's powerful, almost as much as Ganon, maybe even more, and he knows how to use it. And why is he trying to destroy Hyrule? What can we possibly gain? This land of Old Hyrule is huge, clearly not as large as ours, but it supported our ancestors for possibly thousands of years. Why do the Demons want our land? Just to destroy it too. This doesn't make any sense.

And…why did it hurt so much when Sheik called me 'nothing but a girl who likes to get into trouble?' It's like I'm…disappointed that he only thinks of me as a friend, even though I keep telling myself that's all he is.

This is all too confusing.

-Sheik's POV-

This silence is starting to get awkward. I glance down at Link, who looks lost in thought like me. She starts to move her head and I look forward before she catches me looking at her. 'So, where to next?' Link asks.

"First we'll need to get to the castle, where I can store the Wind so we don't lose it any time soon. Then we'll need to get information on the next Goddess Gift we're getting, the Fire of Din," Midna explains.

'You don't know where it is?' Link tilts her head.

'Heh, cute,' I think before blinking.

"Not quite, though I have an idea. I'll figure it out. We just need to get out of this old wasteland and get back to the castle to warn Zelda about that Ghirahim's plan," she says. "And I wonder who that woman was who was with him."

"I don't know, but they sure don't get along," I say as we come out of the path.

'They both seemed familiar to me,' Link says, I imagine if she was normal she would have her hands behind her head. 'Ghirahim more than that woman. I suspect one of my past lives fought them, but I can't tell for certain.'

"How do you know if your past lives fought them?" I ask.

'It's just a feeling I get, kind of like Déjâ Vu, but it's only for an instant, almost like I didn't feel it in the first place. You'd be surprised of all the Déjâ Vu I got when I went through the Twilight,' she shivers slightly.

"It was quite amusing seeing her face go blank for a moment before she would hold her head and keep walking. It happened basically everywhere. The funniest moment was when she found out the Zora's Domain was frozen, she mind shouted 'again?!' so loud I swear even the Zora's in the ice heard her thoughts," Midna laughs.

'What? It felt like it happened before,' she mind-mutters.

"Because it did," I tell her, "when the Hero of Time was looking for the Sages of his time."

'That explains it,' she nods.

"How do you know so much about the old Heroes? I think you know more about them than Link does," Midna says.

"My teachers were really into the old legends of the Chosen Heroes and the Princess of Destiny. Learning about the legends was possibly the biggest thing they taught us, other than combat of course," I explain shortly, not wanting to go into too much detail about my old home.

'Sheik, are you alright? You always seem to get angry when you think of your teachers,' Link thinks. I look down at her and I see she's just curious.

"Nothing, I just don't like them. We should rest for the night," I say, changing the subject.

"You guys rest, I'll go ahead and get to the castle. It will be better to get the Wind now before anything bad happens," Midna says as she comes out. "See you later, Denials," and with that, she teleports away.

'Why does she keep calling us Denials?' Link wonders.

"I'm not sure," I lie, not looking her in the eye. I spot a dead tree and start to go there, at least it's some shelter.

Once I get the fire started, I lean back on the tree, mind drifting off and eventually I start thinking of the dance. I still don't know how I couldn't figure out it was Link I danced with. And it's all so weird, why did I help her, a 'stranger', on a whim? It's like this protective instinct came in and took over my legs.

I shake my head, I can't ever do that again. Stuff like that can only happen once without any backlash. Finally I fall asleep as the full moon peeks out behind the thick clouds.

I'm woken up by something pressing into my side and a whinny noise. When I open my eyes and look down, I see Link butting her head into my side. "Link? What are you doing?" I ask. She looks up and my eyes widen. Her eyes seem blank of her usual emotions, her pupils are slightly bigger and I can't find any trace of human in her. "Link?"

She barks, not the threatening bark of attack, but a true bark of a puppy. She climbs onto my chest and licks my face, making me turn my head. "Get off," I say, pushing her. She jumps off, but grabs my pants leg and tugs playfully, whining. "What is wrong with you?" I ask her, getting to my feet. She just jumps around me, barking and yipping excitedly. It's like the puppy in her took over, like she can't even control herself.

She comes up to me with a stick in her mouth, pawing my foot and telling me to throw it. "Link, you're not yourself. Come on, knock the dog out of you," I say, imagining how she'll react once she regains her human senses. All she does is whine and paw my foot again. I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting out a sigh. This is going to be a long night.

I take the stick and she bounces away from me, stretching her front paws in front of her as she wags her tail in the air. I throw the stick, and with a bark, Link runs after it. Once she gets it, she lies on the ground and puts her paws on it, tugging it up in her mouth. "Good, so we're done," I say, starting to sit down when she comes back over and sits in front of me, ears hanging down her head, head tilted to the side, and tail wagging.

I can't help but smile, she is very cute. Weather she's a puppy or not.

I shake my head, 'Why do those thoughts keep butting in?'

Link drops the stick at my feet and barks, wanting to play some more. Not able to take the grin off my face, I stand up and throw it again. She runs after it and comes back. When I try to take it from her, she pulls back, playing tug-o-war as she growls.

Then she lifts her head, letting go of the stick as she looks into the distance. I look her way to see a small shadow standing there. A shadow of a Wolfos. The Wolfos raises its head to the moon and howls, making the rest of its pack, which are just coming onto the top of the hill they're on, howl with it. Out of the instinct of the puppy, Link is soon howling too, which makes the Wolfos pack come down the hill.

I brace myself, and feel panic run through me when I see Link running towards the pack, not seeing the killing intention in their eyes. "Link! Get back! Link!" I yell, but she keeps going. "Come on! Listen to me!"

'She's not reacting to her name, so what do I do?' I think, mind racing as time seems to slow to a snail's pace. What's a name she's heard recently? "Linky!" I call, but she still runs. One last shot. "Shorty!"

She stops in her tracks as time returns to normal. She turns her head and looks at me over her shoulder, tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. "Come here, Shorty," I call. Barking, she runs back. Why she answers to Shorty, I'll never know. She sits in front of my feet, panting. "Let's go, these guys aren't friendly," I say and start walking, hand on my whip in case they feel like following us.

Oblivious to the danger she was just in, Shorty trots with me happily, carrying the stick in her mouth. I chuckle and she looks up at me with her puppy eyes curiously. "You're just something else," I say, shaking my head fondly.

I look back to see the Wolfos leaving. Most likely they only came was to get us out of their territory. Good thing I put out the fire, this place doesn't need any more destruction.

Sensing my ease, Shorty sits and wags her tail, wanting me to throw the stick some more. I take it out of her mouth and throw it far. We continue playing until she yawns, and I smirk as I bend to her height. "Getting tired, Shorty?" I ask.

She responds by lying down. Smiling, I pick her up, surprised that she lets me, and head to the old ranch we stayed at before. I lie down on the floor and she puts her head on my chest, looking up at me before licking me again. "Ugh, not now," I say, head falling back onto my arm as my other rests on Shorty's head. "No dog kisses," my eyes snap open when I say this, mind going back to the night of the dance. I look down at Shorty and she snuggles into my neck affectionately. So, even her puppy self seems to know my feelings, yet her human self can't figure it out.

"You, Shorty, are one strange girl," I say, closing my eyes for sleep.

-The next morning, Link's POV-

Why does my mouth taste funny? And what's on my head? I open my eyes to find I'm snuggled up to Sheik, his hand resting on my head as he sleep pets me. I lift my head, making his hand fall to my neck, and look around to find we're in the old barn house. That's weird, last thing I remember, I was getting ready to sleep in the grass when I looked up at the moon, then my mind went blank, save for a few words like 'Link', 'get off', 'wrong with', 'knock out,' 'Shorty' and 'strange girl'.

Shaking my head, I stand up and see a stick, small teeth marks in it. Are those my teeth marks? What happened? "Finally come back to your senses?" I look at Sheik as he sits up. "I'll tell you, the puppy in you is hyper like no other. And just about as oblivious as you could imagine."

'What?' I ask, tilting my head.

"Last night, for some reason or another, your puppy side took over your entire brain and body, making you act exactly like a dog. You kept wanting me to throw a stick for you and even licked my face a few times," he explains.

'That's weird…I don't remember any of that,' I think, looking around. 'Well, that aside, we should probably get going. This whole place gives me the creeps.' With that said-er, thought, we head out again and go towards the Lost Woods in silence again.

'What was I like?' I ask suddenly, making Sheik look at me in confusion. 'When I was a full pup.'

I think I see him blush lightly, but I can never really tell under his shawl. "Uh, well you wanted me to play with you, throwing sticks and tug-o-war, you know, just normal puppy stuff. You woke me up by nudging my side and whining, then to welcome me, you licked my face."

My ears fall slightly and I look away, knowing I would be blushing if I was normal. 'Oh.'

"Yeah, after that, there wasn't much that happened. Other than you answering to Shorty when you were running at a pack of Wolfos, not knowing they were out to kill you."

'I see,' I think. 'Not one word of this to anyone, got it?'

"Don't worry, I don't want to tell them either," he says. I give him a curious look, but shrug it off once he doesn't say anything else.

We go through the Kokiri Forest again and leave into the Deeper Lost Woods when I stop. Last time, I had to use the song to teleport, but I don't have hands and my things disappeared along with everything else. How will we get back?

"Alright, you know what's coming," he says and picks me up, bringing out his chain-whip.

'Oh joy,' I think sarcastically as he swings his chain-whip. I look up at him from the corner of my eyes, looking into his own eyes. They suit him, really, they aren't a cold colour of dried blood like Ganon's eyes, but a deep crimson, and they hold a lot of different emotions. Strong, smart, quick to come up with solutions to problems. Where have I seen them before?

My ears fall when it starts to click. I have seen his eyes before, up close, but I didn't have any clue who he was. Oh great Goddesses, at the party, I danced with Sheik! How could I have been so stupid?! It was right there, basically screaming into my face, and I haven't noticed until now?

And slight horror fills me as I remember what almost happened last night. 'I-I almost kissed Sheik,' I think, careful to keep it to myself. 'But, that was a heat of the moment type thing. Besides, we didn't actually kiss, so there's nothing to worry about,' I reassure myself. 'But if it's true that I almost kissed him, then why do I feel…sad that we didn't kiss?'

Gery: I'm sorry it's so late. I did try to type, but some of my relatives came over this weekend and I had to take a short break to refresh my ideas. Plus I've been playing Master Quest, so yeah, sorry again. Anyway! Now you know that Ghirahim's in the picture. But I've got a new question for you, who is the woman he was with? Keep her in mind, she'll have a part later on. And what's this? Link's finally realized she danced with Sheik! And they had a little bonding time, whether it's because Shorty, AKA, Pup Link, wanted to just play or not. And next chapter, we will get the second Goddess Gift, the Fire of Din. See ya!


	11. Chapter 10

To Mihang: Gahahaha! I'm glad you like it:)! Yeah, it's about time right? I was just waiting for the right moment for Link to start to get an idea of what's going on. No I haven't, but I'll go check that out, thank you. And I believe it's called Shink, or something along those lines.

To Lady Fai: Kinda, I like to imagine her able to make her mind louder and quitter, like an actual voice, and she can control whether she wants someone to hear her or not.

To alfred pierce: Thank you. Actually, I made her say 'holy goat' instead of 'holy cow', since Ordon only raises goats, I thought it would be equivalent to cows, that's how I got it.

To LOZ-fangirl: Things are gunna get a lot more curious, as far as I know. And thank you!

Gery: Hazza! It's finished! This chapter did _not_ want to be written. But it's done now!

Alex: Does this mean we can stop reading that stupid Fanfic?

Gery: Wishful thinking, Alex! But no, we're still gunna be reading that. Gotta have somethin' to do, right? Disclaimer!

Nura: Gery doesn't own Zelda, but she does own the plot and OCs.

Gery: Oh! And anyone who gets the reference in this chapter gets a virtual cookie! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: The Fire of Din

The rest of the walk back becomes awkward, now that I realize just who I danced with and almost kissed. I'm still calling myself stupid for not noticing it earlier. This could be why Midna keeps calling us 'Denials'.

It feels like an eternity comes and goes by the time we get back to the Upper Lost Woods. Now all we have to do is worry about getting out of here without getting into more trouble.

But I think someone has it in form me…

We find ourselves lost, and I can tell someone's not happy about it. "Where are we?" Sheik yells, his voice echoing.

'Something's not right,' I think, looking around. 'Your voice shouldn't echo, this place is supposed to be filled with too many sounds.'

"Are you sure? I don't hear anything."

'I'm positive. When I came here before, I couldn't get the noises out of my head while trying to chase down Skull Kid,' I run my paw down my mouth at remembering the headache I got. 'Something's wrong.'

We look around in the shadows when three pairs of eyes open, glowing in the dim light. 'This can't be good,' I think before the owners of the eyes bark. They step out and I blink when I see Cerberus jump out, all three heads barking. 'Huh?' I think before he tackles into me, sending both of us into a puddle, where he sniffs and nuzzles me.

He barks in my face and picks me up by my ruff in 2's mouth, 3 jerking its head for Sheik to follow as the three headed dog runs off. "Where is he going?" he yells.

'Don't expect me to know!' I mind-yell back, trying not to struggle as I hang in the air.

Cerberus comes to a cave and puts me down as Sheik catches up, only slightly out of breath. We look around the cave, when I spot something glowing at the end of it. 'What's that?' I look at Sheik, who shrugs.

"Not sure, but I don't like it," he says, taking out his throwing knives. We keep going and find the source of the glow.

'A rock?' I ask, looking at the giant bolder. 'I don't get it, why did Cerberus bring us here?'

"I'm not sure," Sheik says as Cerberus starts to tug my tail. I look back at him and he barks before running down the cave more, this is really weird.

We keep following the three headed dog until we finally come to the end, where some sort of...thing is lying down, almost camouflaged into the rock. "What the Din's Hell is that?" Sheik asks.

'I was about to ask you the same thing,' I say, trotting up to it to sniff it. I reel back, gagging, it smells like rotting flesh. 'Bad thing about being a wolf, you never forget senses,' I think, putting my paws over my nose to try and block out the smell.

"It wouldn't matter even if you were Hylian," Sheik remarks, pressing his shawl over his face.

Cerberus barks and growls at the thing, clearly not liking it. 'Is this what he wanted to show us?' I wonder.

"Guess so, but _why_ he's showing us is what I'm wondering," he walks closer to the thing as I sit down, looking it over with confusion.

That's when the rocks shift and split open in front of me, letting me see my reflection in a gleaming, yellow orb. 'What is this?' I think, backing up as the cave shakes, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling. I jump out of the way in time for a stalactite to smash into the ground where I was once standing and I roll under more falling rocks as dust blinds me.

As the dust settles, I get to my paws and shake myself, making a small coating of the dust fall off my fur. 'That was close, eh, Jerk?' I think, looking around but having my ears fall when I see the cave in. 'Oh-no. Sheik!' I mind-yell, jumping onto a rock and I start to climb up.

I spot a small hole and look through to see him getting up on the other side, rubbing his head. 'You alright?' I ask, making him look at me.

"I'm fine, just banged my head," he gets to his feet and comes to the caved in rocks. "Let's move these."

I'm about to nod when I feel something pick me up by my tail. 'Wah! Whoa!' I struggle and gulp once I see the yellow orb again, but now I know what it is.

An eye.

The eye of some huge creature that's bigger than Yeto. It's tree trunk-like fingers hold me high as it examines me. It snorts and shrinks itself to the side of a tall man, holding me up by my ruff, like everyone else does. "Hum…you can work," he smirks to himself, his voice low and rocky. "I need your help with something."

'Oh great, what do I need to do now?' I think, not liking where this is going.

"You see that hole?" he points to a small tunnel. I nod. "Well, as you can see, I'm too big to fit in it, even in my smallest form. But with you this size, you can get through and bring me the gem that's in there. You do that, and I can clear this cave of the rocks. Deal?"

'It's like he knows I'm Hylian,' I muse, nodding.

"Good, now get going pup, and do it quickly, my power drains as I'm in this form," he tosses me at the hole and I grunt as I hit the ground. Resisting the urge to growl at the size-changing thing, I get on my stomach and crawl into the hole, just managing to fit.

'Look at the bright side, Link, at least you don't have to go through a huge as Din's Hell dungeon or Temple,' I think to myself.

-With the size-changer thing-

Chuckling, she changes back to her normal self, her chuckling soon becoming crazed laughter as she dances around joyfully. "Oh! I can't believe how gullible that Hylian is! Aheheheheh! I gotta tell Debby about this! Ohahahaha!" she laughs shrilly, causing Sheik, who was sitting on the other side with his head resting on the wall, to sit up and look at the cave in.

Eyes narrowing, he gets up and walks to the collapsed rocks on cat-quiet feet, looking through a hole to see something humanoid, but overly tall and muscular dancing and twirling around in glee. "Once that Hylian gets out of that tunnel, he'll be in for a surprise! Ehehehehe!"

Sheik feels himself freeze slightly, this person knows Link's not a wolf? Where is the Shorty anyway?

Cerberus, who had his first and second head resting on his paws and the last one guarding the entrance of the cave, gets to his feet and growls lowly. Sadly for the Sheikah, the figure hears and turns to the cave in, spotting the hole he's looking through. Thanks to his training, he easily leaps into the air and hangs onto some stalactites, watching as the figure explodes the rocks and makes a cloud of dust. Thankful for his shawl, Sheik waits for the figure to look around and, hopefully, leave.

His hopes are dashed when Cerberus attacks the figure, biting his strong jaws into their leg. "Get off me, you mutt!" she screeches in outrage and flings the three headed dog across the cave, making him hit the wall with his back and become still. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" she calls out. "I know this mutt ain't here alone!" she sings, scanning the walls.

Suddenly she looks up, somehow spotting the Sheikah even with his stealth. A large, viscous smirk appears on her face as she speaks, "Perfect."

-Link's POV-

Once I finally make it out of the hole, I look around the dark room to see torches, hear the flapping of Keese wings, and spot a single column of light coming from the roof of the cave. Ears perked for any sign of danger, I walk forward and trot up the stairs that lead to the light, both the Hylian and puppy in me curios about this place.

Now that I think about it, it is a really bad thing to combine my natural curiosity with the naïveness of a puppy. I'm probably gunna get into a lot of trouble. Shaking my head, I sit in the light, looking up at the hole in the ceiling to see it makes the shape of a sun, which is ironic, because the sun is almost at midday and will fit through the hole exactly in a few minutes.

I look around the room, there isn't much here other than the odd flapping of leather wings, so all I can do is wait for the sun to fit through the hole.

Luckily it doesn't take long, and the entire room brightens when the sun hits the center of the sky. Somehow. What I see is…freaky to say the least. There's a picture engraved in the rocks in front of me and, as I trot up to it, I become confused and…frightened. I see the beast from my dream. The one with the black/red scales and the rows of teeth.

It's drawn as a diagram, and, slowly, it becomes something almost human. It looks huge, possibly even bigger than Ganondorf, and has a large, black sword in its hand. Holding the sword over its head, lightning strikes in the background as a small figure, who looks like their running around it, is holding their own sword up, tip pointed to the sky. Under it, a text is seen and I start to read it.

_A_r ma_ h_rd_ips, it's o_er. No _n_ k_ws of t_s _ave, so I _el_v_ it is _a_e to p_t this h_e. G_H_ do I _pe so. D_, the D_o_ K_g, is de_e_e_. B_ w_a_ d_e_ he m_n by c_ing his and my d_ents to _ght for _nity? Re_car_a_ns? R_rn ag_n? I j_st d_n't ge_ it. He p_ a cur_ on me, my fri_d and h_sel_, ap_ent_, _d now wh_t? Wh_ d_s this h_ve to do wi_h _ny_ing? I'm _t go_g to l_ve a_in, I k_o_ _s, b_ I f_l so _nge no_, _ik_, e_n a_er I d_e, no_ eve_t_ng will j_t be t_ s_ as _ual. M_ j_t be me b_ng my w_d s_f, as a_ys. B_t, if you_e r_ing this, I g_s you fo_d this _e, huh? M_ frie_ told _e th_t it's po_ib_e for the D_n _ng to _e_r_ a_a_, a_d _e's the on_ w_ _o_d me to w_te this d_n, so w_y not? N_t li_ I'm g_g to pic_ a f_ht w_h h_, s_e c_n ge_ r_her…s_ry w_n she's an_r_._ _A_w_y, be_es _at, I _ss I sh_d g_ to _he p_in_. If t_is is a r_nca_n_io_ of m_ne, a_ho_gh I h_hly do_t it, _ep a l_ok ou_ f_r _em_e an_ his c_ny. _n if t_y are _fea_ed, t_ey mig_ _ot be d_. A_ if t_s i_n't m_ re_car_at_on, go t_ll m_ _car_on ab_t t_is. If _ey're r_l th_ _s._

Once I finish looking at it, I sit back, confused. It's like someone came here and made sure the faded words were unreadable. Some words I can tell have their letters forcibly taken out, but why? What's this person want to warn someone about?

When all light is taken from the room, I jump to my feet, eyes darting around for anything wrong. "Well. Well. Well," a voice says slowly, making me growl and turn around in slow circles. "I see you've found the words of the old hero. Such a shame you can't read it," I turn to see Ghirahim standing at the top of the stairs, smirking at me with crossed arms.

The fur on my back rises as I crouch, getting ready to use Galore's Necklace to run a hole through his stomach. I charge at him, but he steps out of the way and down on my back as I fall forward. I growl and snap at his hand as he reaches for me, but he picks me up anyway in a tight grip. "You really don't get it, do you? You can't win. I know your weakness," he hisses and my eyes widen when he snaps his fingers and his curved sword shows up.

'Oh Goddesses,' I struggle to get away, but he grips my ruff tighter.

"Now, now, be a good boy, you wouldn't want me to hurt your friend, would you?" he asks and snaps his fingers again, letting me see an image of Sheik knocked out cold and lying in the middle of a pool of lava, a weird, solid platform the only reason he's not dead yet. "That's right, if you try to fight back, it's goodbye platform, goodbye Sheikah," Ghirahim grins cruelly. "There's only one way you can save him, you let me take your life, and I let the Sheikah live."

I look at Sheik, I have to save him, but Midna always yelled at me that I'm more important. But I don't care, I need to save him! I growl and manage to bite Ghirahim's hand, letting me drop down and fall. Expecting to hit the ground, I brace myself, but I fall through the image and land on the small ring of earth surrounding the lava. I shiver as I get to my feet, the tingling feeling like I get when I warp fills me and I look back to see the image of the Demon Lord close, much to his anger I guess.

A groan alerts me of Sheik waking up and I look over to see him open his eyes. I feel my tail wag as he sits up and rubs his head, moaning. "What hit me?"

'Sheik!' I mind-yell and he looks over, his gaze quickly fixing on something behind me.

"Link, turn around," he says and, gulping, I turn to see the eyes of some sort of giant lizard staring at me. The lizard roars, making me fly across the lava and land on the other side and I hit the wall. I grunt as I hit the ground but get to my feet as it comes out of hiding. That's one big Dodongo. It's much larger than the ones I fought in the Mine.

It tastes the air with its tongue, hissing. "If you wish to fight me, you must find me," it speaks before rolling into a ball and crashing through a wall, creating a large tunnel.

"…Did that Dodongo just speak?" Sheik asks, standing up on the platform and being careful not to let it tip.

'Oh, good, I wasn't the only one who heard it,' I let out a sigh before walking over to the tunnel, it leads deep down and I see a faint glow far below. A shiver goes up my spine and I back away, why do I have a feeling I'll need to go down there? 'Where are we anyway?' I ask as Sheik easily jumps over the lava pool and lands on solid ground.

"We're under the Goron Mines, this is where the old Dodongos lived before the Hero of Time took out their king," he explains. Why does he know more about my past self than I do? Maybe it's a Sheikah thing.

'How'd we get here? We were in the Lost Woods before.'

"I was taken here by the crazy woman we heard arguing with Ghirahim, she tricked you into going through the tunnel," he explains.

'That would explain why Ghirahim was there,' I think to myself. 'But what was the point of that? And why does the Dodongo want to fight me?'

"Well, we better get going. I have a feeling as to why the giant lizard wanted you to fight her," Sheik says, picks me up and slides down the tunnel on his feet, dodging stalagmites and the occasional bolder falling from the ceiling. When we finally come to the bottom, we see a large Dungeon, lava covering mostly all of it, but what catches my eye is the giant Dodongo skull. It's yellow with age, the teeth are all but gone, and the lower jaw is half missing, letting me see a large hole of where the throat is supposed to be.

I look around to see pillars somehow rising up and down in the lava, there are about ten different corridors and all of them lead to darkness. I have a sense of Déjâ Vu, like I had in Jabu's stomach, the Palace of Wind and just about everything in Old Hyrule. Was one of my past selves here before? I'm guessing it's more than possible, with all the crap we've all gone through.

We jump to the pillar in front of us, then the crumbling platform in the middle, looking at the different ways to go. 'So we need to find the Dodongo, but which way did she go? There are ten different corridors that she can fit through, so it doesn't give us much option,' I think to Sheik, frowning internally.

"Well, I suspect we'd find her were the most Dodongos are. She seems to be the queen of them, and it would make sense that she has some kind of servants guarding her," Sheik says.

'Or she could be where the least of them are, wanting us to think she'll be with them. Dodongos aren't human Sheik, even if they have a monarchy, they have a different way of ruling it. The Queen and Kind Dodongos are the strongest and biggest of them all, they don't need anything else to protect them. They're scales are too thick to slice with a sword, only it's face is variable, and their claws and teeth can break through anything, possibly even diamond. They're not something you want to fight every day,' I think unknowingly.

Sheik gives me a look. "Where did that come from?"

I look at him confused. 'Where did what come from?'

"What you just told me about the Dodongos, how'd you know that?" he asks.

I blink, looking down slightly. 'I…don't know. It just came out. Huh, weird, this happened when I was fighting Ganondork,' I miss the smirk on his face, 'I kept thinking 'I need to hit him in the spots his armour doesn't cover, I need to use my speed, not my strength, to throw him off and land an attack, I will _definitely_ need to dodge his magic attacks', stuff like that.'

"I guess you _do_ get some memories from your past lives, even if they're only small," he muses, arms crossed as he looks away, his eyes going distant as he thinks about something. "Hum, I was told only the keeper of the Triforce of Power could remember their past lives, expect for their first, and the other two had their memory wiped when they were born, so they wouldn't suspect anything."

'Told by who? You're teachers?' I ask.

His mood instantly darkens, he glares at nothing in particular as he turns around, heading towards one of the tunnels. "Coming, Shorty?" he asks, sounding more than irritated.

I blink. 'What did I think?' I wonder before trotting after him, confused as to why he seems angry at the mention of his teachers. Maybe he had some sort of fight with them, and he doesn't like them anymore. I'll try not to mention them, he looks really upset about it.

We walk in an awkward silence until we come to a room with some sort of…stairs? I guess? It's about thirty meters high and we can't climb on, since the steps are too far away for us. Well, me anyway. Sheik can probably just run up the wall if he could. I see some bomb flowers surrounding the bottom, a two block square separating the two rows.

'I'm confused,' I state.

"We'll need to blow up both rows of bombs. It should be easy if we hit them at the same time," Sheik says.

He walks up to the first bomb when something catches my eye. I turn my head to the corner to see rows of Armos standing still at the wall, right beside the bombs. My ears fall, if we blow up the bombs, then they'll wake up and attack us. 'Sheik, don't-!' the sound of a bomb going off makes me look at the row. 'Ah! Defuse it!' I mind-yell, running to the bomb but having it explode in my face, making the others blow up in a chain reaction. 'Oh-no.'

Every single Armos wakes up, sees us, and starts jumping at us. We get back to back and I growl at them, changing Galore's Necklace for strength. "Why do we always get in trouble?" Sheik grumbles, taking out his knives.

'Because the Goddesses find joy in watching our lives go spiraling out of control,' I reply, growling as the statue enemies come closer. 'Ready, Jerk?'

"Of course, Shorty, when am I not ready?" I hear the smirk in his voice before I jump forward, bashing my skull into an Armos' face, shattering it. I jump away as it blows up and I leap over an Armos, landing on another's head and crushing its skull before jumping to another one. I jump on two more Armos heads and land on the ground, the Armos blowing up behind me and scattering rocks and dust everywhere.

Three Armos surround me and I spin, knocking them back and letting me run between them, only to crash into another. I smash right through its base and make it fall forward, causing the three following me to fall with it. The large explosion sends me flying and I land on the ground on my butt, thankfully not crushing my tail. I'll really need to dip it into some potion after this, the pain might be gone for now, but I need it to heal or it might cause problems for when I'm human. Don't want a broke tailbone, it would hurt to sit.

I head-butt another Armos to find one sneaking up behind me, knocking me down and about to attack me, but I roll out of the way to find Sheik in trouble, having no way to fight them other than knives. Where's his chain-whip? I shake my head and run at an Armos, smashing it into dust and skidding to a stop in front of Sheik, growling at the rest. 'Look at that, I'm not the one in trouble,' I think, smirking mentally as I kick an Armos into the wall, where it blows up.

I know he's rolling his eyes. "Shut up, Shorty," he says, jumping out of the way of an Armos. I just smile wolfishly to myself and keep attacking the living statues. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of fighting, the rest of the Armos are defeated and Sheik and me are panting as we sit, too many explosions.

I hold my head with my paws, groaning as I feel a large lump. 'Note to self: Galore's Necklace gives me the power to break rocks, but it doesn't mean I'm immune,' I think, rubbing my head.

"Nothing can make you immune to everything," Sheik says. "Well at least we won't have to worry about the Armos anymore. C'mon, we should blow the bombs up and get out of here."

'Just hope there aren't any more Armos,' I think and we hit the different bombs for the rows. They blow up and the stair-like platform rumbles loudly as it comes down, making me cover my ears. I go to the first stair and jump, but it's too high for me to fully get onto, and I glare at Sheik when he laughs at me, only my front paws on the stair as I'm hanging. 'You tell anyone about this, I'll tell them I had to save you from Armos as a puppy,' I threaten.

He doesn't stop laughing as he comes over, arms crossed. "No promises," he snickers more as my back paws scrape the stone as I try to pull myself up. "Need help, Shorty?"

'No I do not!' I think, grunting as I almost make it, but fall back.

"You sure?"

'Yes!' I nod stubbornly. 'I need to keep some pride you know!'

"With you as a puppy, you have no more pride."

'Thanks,' I sarcastically think. My paws suddenly slip and I fall back, but I stop. I groan, please don't tell me- I look up to see Sheik smirking at me.

"What was that about pride?"

'…It's gone,' I would be pouting if I could.

He laughs again, probably happy at being right as he jumps up the stairs. Once we're at the top, he puts me down and we walk on the platform surrounding the wall and leave through the door to find a small round chamber with Fire Keese, Armos and a switch on top of the pillar in the middle. Sheik jumps to the top of it and hits the switch, making the bars on the next door go up.

But the only thing we find is a caved in aria, so we're forced to go back to the entrance. We go down another path and find a hallway with Dodongos roaming around, tasting the air with their snake-like tongues as they patrol the hallway. 'Their weak spot is on their tail, if we hit that, then they'll get hurt,' I think.

"Alright, you know more about fighting these guys than I do," Sheik says as he takes out his knives.

'What happened to your chain-whip?'

"It's still in the cave, I'll go back there after we get out of here," he says.

I nod before running at the giant, lizard-like beast. I use Galore's Necklace to glide over its head and land on its tail, biting it quickly before it can throw me off. It spins around and I jump off before it clamps its teeth down on me, instead it bites its own tail. The Dodongo lets out a stream of fire as it hisses in pain, I duck just in time for the fire to soar over my head and hit the wall behind me, charring it black.

Sheik uses this distraction to throw three knives at the Dodongo's tail, making it cry out as its feet collapse under it. It blows up and we keep going. After a few minutes of walking, we find a dark tunnel and go into it to find about seven Dodongos, eight Lizalofs and a Dinalof. We start backing up slowly when I bump into something scaly. Looking over my shoulder, I see the open mouth of a Dodongo, the back of its throat glowing.

'Wah!' I roll out of the way just in time so I don't turn into Dodongo food and I feel myself get picked up as Sheik runs for the exit. But the Dinalof jumps over our heads and lands in front of us, holding a jagged sword.

It roars and leaps forward, making Sheik jump to the side and put me inside a pile of rocks. 'Hey! I can help you know!' I mind-yell at him when he closes the hole with another rock.

"I can do it just fine," he says.

-Sheik's POV-

I take out my throwing knives and stand in front of the rock fort protecting the Shorty. I don't know why, but I feel like I need to keep her safe as a puppy, I've noticed that she's starting to get tired. Actually, I feel like I just want to keep her safe. I shake my head as I dodge the Dinalof's sword, I need to stop thinking about feelings I can't have!

The Dinalof takes in a deep breath and breathes fire at me, but I bring up a shield spell, blocking the flames. I let the shield drop and dash at the Dinalof, stabbing it in the stomach as I run passed it. It clenches its stomach as black blood flows from the wound, looking at me with furious yellow eyes. It slashes forward and catches my upper arm. I ignore it and jump over its head, throwing down a knife and it lodges into the Dinalof's skull. It falls forward and blows up, and I have no time before I'm fighting all eight Lizalofs.

I kick two away, throw a knife into another one's eye, punch one in the gut and trip two more, but they start to back me up into the wall. I let them surround me until I summon my fire spell and incinerate three, making burning flesh fill the tunnel. Thankfully my shawl blocks out most of the stench, but I can't say the same for Link.

'Oh dear Farore, that stinks!' I hear her think as I can only imagine her covering her nose.

I just ignore her complaining and throw a knife at a Lizalof's throat, making it fall back into a companion and get impaled with a sword. The body's kicked aside and crashes into the rocks where Link's hiding, but I have no time to get over there before a Lizalof hits me in the gut and I roll between its legs, making it fall over. I leap to my feet and stab it in the back before it can recover. I drop low and kick at the next Lizalof's legs, kicking its legs out from under it before stabbing it in the heart.

Suddenly the Dodongos run out of the cave, followed by the rest of the survivors. Raising an eyebrow, I look around when the ground shakes and a deep rumbling fills the tunnel. I see Link pull herself out from under the Lizalof and shake herself, glaring at me before sniffing the air. 'Why's it smell…hot?' she asks.

I look down the tunnel to see a faint glow coming towards us like thick water. I groan in annoyance, will we ever get a brake? I pick up Link, to her displeasure, and run from the oncoming lava. But with our luck, the ground in front of us crumbles away to let us see more lava just waiting for us to fall into it. We look back to see the molten rock slowly coming at us, almost taunting us that we're going to die.

Link looks at the lava pool in front of us and seems to spot something, since she gives a relived sigh and jumps out of my arms. 'Alright, I know what to do! We need to jump toward the lava!' she says this happily and I'm starting to think she's a few inches short of a sword.

"Are you crazy?!" I yell, looking at the lava pool then the lava coming being us.

'Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong!' she grins and hunches down, getting ready to jump.

"Link, there's no way jumping to the middle of a lava pool will save us," I state.

'Yes there is! You have to trust me!' she thinks. I look at her in surprise. The last person to say I had to trust them was Rosalie, and I know how well that worked. But something in Link's eyes makes me look at the lava and sigh.

"Alright, so what exactly do you want us to do?"

Her tail wags, but I don't know if she notices. 'When the lava is a foot away, we jump to the pool! Ready?' she asks as said lava comes closer.

"Ready when you are, Shorty," I get ready to jump, waiting for the lava to come closer.

'Okay now!' she jumps forward and I jump not a second later, eyes widening as the lava pool comes close. Suddenly, a solid platform rises from the lava and we land on it before a lava geyser shoots us up into the air, bringing us to another level. We jump and land on the ground, both of us panting as the platform falls back down. We both look over the edge of the level we're on to see the flowing lava make contact with the pool and take out the platform. I look at Link in surprise, she just looks back with a smile. 'See? Told you you could trust me!'

I stand up and follow her as we come to a small cave where we can rest for tomorrow. As I lie down, I see Link curl up half a meter away, quickly falling asleep. How she does it is beyond me.

I lie my head down on my arms and close my eyes, soon falling into the dream world.

I look around, confused. What is this place? I'm in some sort of dungeon, chained to the floor and when I turn my head, I see Link lying unconscious beside me, and she's Hylian again. She has a long scratch on her forehead and her wrists are rubbed raw from the chains on them. "Link? Wake up, Shorty," I nudge her with my foot and she rolls over, opening her eyes and looking at me. She doesn't 'say' anything to me, she just stares at my face dully, almost like she doesn't know who I am.

She shakes her head and sits up, looking around to see we're trapped. "Any ideas how to get out?" I ask her, she just side-glances at me before looking out of the bars, why do I have a feeling that she actually doesn't know me? "Link?"

Suddenly, everything changes and I find myself standing on a hill. In the distance I can see Link, but there's also someone else there. I run over and freeze when I see the other person.

Her hair is long, tied back into a braid, and black like the midnight sky. Her Sheikah red eyes are soft, like rose petals, and her face is pale. She's wearing a traditional Sheikah garb, but it's black instead of blue. "I see you haven't forgotten me, Sheik," she speaks in that familiar, rich voice.

"How could I forget you?" I ask.

"You've moved on," her rose eyes get darker, almost scarlet, and her fist clenches around a dagger in her hand. "You try to forget all that we've been through, you try to forget your own people, your own love."

"I can't go back, remember? You were there," I feel my own fists clench at the memory.

"That doesn't mean you need to forget. But I see that you found someone else," she pulls Link, who I didn't see was unconscious again, over by her tunic. "What does she have that I don't, hum, Sheik? Is she catching your eye so much that you refuse to remember the good times we had?"

"Of course not! I don't love her!" I say, crossing my arms.

"Is that so? Then you won't mind if I-" she takes out a knife and slits her throat, making something in my heart feel like it's broken.

"Link!" I yell, running forward as she lets the Hylian drop lifelessly on the grass, blood dampening the ground crimson. I hold her body and feel myself shake. I look up at _her_ and whisper one word, "Why?"

"You don't love her, so why let her get in the way of us? We can finally be together, Sheik," she puts a hand on my face but I jerk my head away, scowling at her.

"Why now? Why do you choose me now?" I snap, standing up as I carry Link's body bridle-style.

"Because I was so young and naïve," she puts a hand on her heart, head turning away. "I didn't know what I felt, and how real it was. Until I lost you," she tries to move closer, but I pull back, feeling hatred and sadness bubbling in my stomach.

"No, get out of here!" I scream.

"You can't run, Sheik," she warns, coming closer as I turn and run, holding Link's body close. "Sheik…Sheik…Sheik…"

'Sheik!' I sit up fast to see Link looking at me, fear and worry written all over her eyes. 'Are you alright? You kept tossing and turning, then you rolled over and crushed me, waking me up. You looked like you were having a nightmare.'

I pant as I try to get a grasp on my mind. It was only a dream, _she's_ not here and Link is alive. She's fine. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders as my breathing returns to normal. "I'm fine," I say. She climbs onto my lap and looks me in the eyes.

'You wanna talk about it? I know a lot about nightmares, and it helps if you tell someone,' I've never seen her act so serious, even when fighting she still carries the childish nature I've grown to like in her.

"It was nothing…just someone from my past," I say, looking away and trying not to look in her eyes, knowing that if I look too long I'll tell her everything.

'Oh, it's a personal thing. Okay, I hope you don't get something like that again. It was kinda scary seeing you look so scared and alone,' she shivers slightly.

I nod as she curls up, still on my lap as I put my left hand behind my head and gently pet her head with my right. It feels like she's trying to comfort me and keep the nightmares away. My mind keeps drifting back to all that's happened between us, and I keep thinking about what Midna and _she_ have been saying. Do I really and truly love Link? Or is it just something to make me feel something other than hurt and betrayal?

Mind filled with memories of both her and Link, I fall back into a restless sleep.

-Link's POV-

I stay awake, looking at Sheik's hidden face as he turns his head. It really did frighten me when he was calling my name and the other name. I can't remember what he said, but he sure looked scared when he woke me up and rolled on me. I hope that it's not his past haunting him, he really seems to hate something about it. Maybe I can help a little, I won't nose my way into his problems, but I'll let him know he can talk to me any time.

I nod to myself and lie my head down on my paws, not minding Sheik patting my head. If he finds comfort in it, I don't care of what pride I have. I still can't believe it took me so long to figure out everything, but it would explain why I felt like I knew Sheik during the dance. Huh, he said that he didn't think when he saved me from Pretty Boy, but he always seems to be thinking about every step he takes, so why did he just come out of the blue and help me?

Ah, so many questions, not enough answers. Bottom line, Sheik's a mystery, and I might never fully understand him. It's amazing that we're able to stand each other, we're so different. But I guess they do kinda say opposites attract. This could be why we're getting close as friends.

Once again, it feels like I'm lying to myself when I say we're only friends. Weird. And is this warm, tingly feeling normal? I don't understand why I feel like I would risk my life for him. Maybe it's just something that happens when you becomes close to someone you've really just met?

I shake my head and yawn, I'll think about this later. My puppyness isn't going to let me stay up for…long…

-Later-

We come out of the cave to find some narrow passageways, I can smell Dodongos down them and hear Blade Traps slicing the walls on their way to cut anything in their path. 'We'll have to be careful, I don't think either of us want to lose a leg.'

"Definitely not," Sheik shakes his head and looks around the first corner. "There's a Dodongo down there, it's larger than normal, but not the Queen."

'I have a bad feeling about this,' I think.

"I think we'll have to sneak passed these guys, they don't look nearly as stupid as the smaller ones," Sheik pulls back and puts his hand on his chin, seeming deep in thought. I wait patiently as a smirk grows on his face. "I got it. I know a spell that will make us go invisible."

My ears fall, 'Spell? As in…magic?'

"Yes."

'No! Remember what you promised? You can't use magic around me!' I shake my head hard.

He lets out a sigh, "Right. Well, do you have a plan, Shorty?"

'Yes, Jerk,' I nod and look around the corner, seeing the large Dodongo head looking down the passage. I grab a rock in my mouth and throw it at the opposite wall, making the Dodongo look at where the rock hit and I sneak to the next gap in the passage, turning and smirking at Sheik.

He rolls his eyes and scales the gap until he's halfway and jumps to the gap above me. I move as he lands on the ground and smirks back at me. 'You make it look so easy,' I think.

"I get that a lot," he shrugs and I look around the corner to get pulled out of the way of a Blade Trap. "You're getting less observant."

'I am? That can't be good,' I frown mentally, what is wrong with me lately?

"We can probably ask Zelda later, right now we need to get out of here and find Queen Dodongo. Let's keep moving, Shorty."

'After you, Jerk,' I mock-bow and he rolls his eyes as he steps out and jumps above the Trap, easily getting to the other side.

I kick a rock into its path and leap over it, but the gap where Sheik is suddenly grows a wall and I smack head first into it. I wobble dizzily on the ground and I swear I see Guay flying around my head. I shake my head and look back to see the Blade Trap coming at me and I yelp before running away from it. But then I walk into the path of a Dodongo and I cover my head as it stomps over me, its back foot almost stepping on me.

I run under its tail, just missing getting crushed by it, and hide in a corner where a Blade Trap almost hits me. I growl in annoyance and spot a ledge on the other side of the passage. If I can get to there, I don't think I'll have to worry about anything. I run after the Blade Trap as it slides back into place and I jump over it as it comes back, grinning in relief when I climb onto the ledge and sit down.

Looking around, I see a tunnel down at the other end. I look behind me and jump when Sheik jumps down from nowhere. 'Thanks for scaring my fur off,' I remark dryly.

"No problem, Shorty," he shrugs and walks over me, making me duck my head and I glare at the back of his head.

'Jerk,' I mind-mutter, trotting to keep up with him.

We walk down the tunnel and come to a rope bridge that hangs over the skull of the Dodongo. So where back in the first chamber. We keep finding ourselves here, but why is that? Suddenly I see a figure walk in from one of the corridors, and even from here I can recognize the frog helmet. 'Zant,' I growl quietly as the tyrant struts in like he owns the place.

He looks around the chamber before taking out a cursed sword and stabbing it into the ground. Sheik pulls me into the shadows as he rises and we watch with wide eyes as all sorts of undead come out of the ground, and not just Redeads. Dodongos with jaws or eyes missing, Lizalofs with only a torso or missing an arm and Keese, some cut in half while others have their heads hanging on by a thread of skin. The undead look up at Zant as he speaks. "Find the wolf and the Sheikah, and do not let them escape," he orders and we look at each other. Finding the Dodongo Queen just got a lot harder.

'What are we going to do? Those things will be roaming around here and there's no way we'll find Queen Dodongo if we're being chased by them,' I think.

"I now you hate it, but I'll have to use my spell to turn us invisible. You have to be willing for it to work," Sheik looks at me.

'Then I can't be invisible, I'm too afraid of magic to let someone use it on me. Sorry,' I sigh.

He rubs his forehead when something catches my attention. A…bomb flower? I tilt my head to the side as I think, 'It looks like a ball.' It rolls out of the tunnel on the opposite side of the bridge. What's that supposed to-? My eyes start following the bomb flower, I feel my tail start to wag and my feet hit the ground.

What's…going…on?

**Ball!**

No! I dig my claws into the dirt, trying to fight back agenised the puppy. I can't let it take over me! I…can't…

Everything goes blank.

-Sheik's POV-

I rub my forehead as I think of a way to get Link invisible when I see her pupils grow. Odd, this is what happened when the puppy took over before-

I'm cut out of the thought when she dashes across the bridge. Caught off guard, I run after her when I hear the bridge boards creak. She keeps running and yelps loudly when a board breaks under her. I jump forward and grab her just before she falls, but her yelp has made some Undead Keese fly up. I lift her up and run across the bridge, trying to keep her under control as she tries to look around.

I put her on the ground once we're on the other side, but this is a mistake. She runs after a bomb flower, which is somehow rolling into a tunnel. I call out to her, but she just ignores me. I remember last time, when she was running at the Wolfos, she answered to 'Shorty', not 'Link'. It's worth a shot.

"Shorty!" I call and she stops, panting as she looks at me. She barks and runs over to me, standing on her back paws as she puts her front paws on my knee. "Uh…stay with me," I say awkwardly. She barks and sits down, wagging her tail as she looks at me, tongue hanging out of her mouth.

I look back at the skull, something tells me we'll have to go through it. "Alright, let's go, Shorty," I start walking to the bridge again and Shorty follows. I stop above the skull and pick up Shorty, who lets me hold her much easier than she would as Link, and jump onto the top of the skull. But even with my silent landing, I catch the attention of every. Single. Undead.

"You're luck's rubbing off on me, Shorty," I grumble at her, but she just looks at me with puppy innocence and I jump through the eye socket, landing on a Dodongo with no head. I jump off of it and run towards the back of the throat, but Redeads and two Lizalofs rise out of the ground. Still holding Shorty, I jump on a Redead's head, making it fall forward, and throw a knife at the other one's face before it can screech at me. I kick my leg up at the Lizalof in front of me and send its head flying off, but it still stands as if nothing happened.

The decapitated Lizalof scratches my leg with its claws before I can react and I hiss in pain as it kicks me back and I slam into the cheekbone of the skull, getting the wind knocked out of me as I fall. I feel Shorty wiggle out of my arms and put her paws on my shoulder, sniffing my face as she whines.

"I'm fine," I say as I start to get up, but the torso and head of a Redead bursts out of the ground and bites my leg, making me scream in agony.

Then Shorty does something that, truth be told, frightens me. Her eyes turn from curious orbs to dangerous slits in a split second, the deep blue of her eyes turns slightly lighter, making them look more like ice, and her fur becomes bristled as she bares her teeth at the Redead. She jumps at it and sinks her teeth into its throat, so it can't screech. That might be a good strategy for later use.

When the Redead falls and fades away, Shorty's not back to normal. She turns to the headless Lizalof and leaps at it, knocking it to the ground as her claws dig into its torso. She bites and scratches the lizard-like beast until it stops moving. She gives one look to the other beasts and they all, Redeads included, retreat back to the earth.

She turns her head back to me and I grimace at how…_monstrous_ she looks. She doesn't even look like she has a trace of human _or_ puppy in her. But the moment the thought crosses my mind, her eyes grow back to orbs and she sits down, panting as her tongue hangs out, oblivious to the blood on her maw. She comes over to me and noses my bite, making me wince and she whines.

"I'll…be fine," I say slowly. She wags her tail and I pull out a cloth, wiping the blood off her snout.

I use the wall to get to my feet and swear under my breath at the stinging in my leg. Why didn't I ever pay attention in the healing lessons? Oh right, because I thought it was boring. I'm really kicking myself right now. I do my best to ignore the pain as I go towards the throat, looking down to see nothing but darkness. Oh boy, here we go.

I pick up Shorty and go down, sliding into dead Dodongo's body. I land on my feet at the bottom when I feel Shorty moving in my arms. 'Ooh, what happened?' I look down at her to see her eyes are back to normal, she's herself again. She looks up at me with a dazed look in her eye. 'It happened again…didn't it?'

"Yes. Is it really that hard to keep your human mind?" I ask, putting her down as she shakes herself.

'For some reason, it's getting even harder. It's like the longer I'm a puppy, the more I become one,' she thinks.

I put my hand on my forehead, that's exactly what's happening! "Great, now we have more problems than just turning you back to normal! We need to keep you from turning into a full puppy. If we don't, I have a feeling you'll never be able to turn back."

She groans as she hits her head on the wall, 'You've _got_ to be kidding me! Why do you take joy in my pain, Goddesses?' she mind yells to the roof. 'I have a feeling that they're laughing at me.'

"Who says the Goddesses can't enjoy your misery?" I shrug and look around when I feel eyes on me. My gaze follows the trail in front of us until I spot a cave, when the green eyes of Queen Dodongo open, making Link and I jump.

"So you do wish to challenge me? I will show you your mistake," she steps out and rolls into a ball, rolling at us.

-Link's POV-

We jump separate ways, and when I find out she's solely after me, I run as fast as my stupid legs can carry me. I feel her spikes graze my tail when I dive out of the way, making her slam into the wall head first and turn, not even dazed. If that happened to me, I'd probably have brain damage.

Queen Dodongo takes in a deep breath and throws her head back. I duck with my paws over my head as fire soars over me, singeing my fur slightly. I look up to see her charging at me again and spot a bomb flower in the corner. An idea growing in my head, I run under her legs, making her get confused and look at me from between them, and I grab the stem in my mouth as she turns, ready to take another breath.

I toss the bomb through the air, but she closes her mouth with a loud snap and backs away, kicking it back for it to explode in my face. Just my luck, eh? I shake my head and yelp when I see fire coming at me, when a blue diamond surrounds me, making me gasp and back into the wall when I feel magic. Get it away, get it AWAY! I feel myself shake, despite the heat of the flame, and my tail goes around me as I put my paws over my eyes.

Once I feel the magic gone from the air, I lift my paws to see I'm in the shadow of the Queen Dodongo, who's laughing. "Some hero you are, afraid of a simple shield spell!" she flicks me into the air and catches me on her head. I'm lucky I haven't been skewered by her spikes. She tosses her head and sends my flying across the room, landing on the other side in a small cloud of dust.

'Stupid over-grown lizard,' I mind-grumble, getting to my paws and I spot Sheik climbing onto the Dodongo's back. What's he doing?

He takes out a bomb unnoticed and waves at me to come closer to the Queen. Confused, I walk towards her as she comes at me, and when she opens her mouth, Sheik throws the bomb in. He jumps off before the bomb explodes in the Queen's stomach and she falls, slightly weakened from the explosion.

'I get it!' I think as me and Sheik run from her. 'So I distract her and you make her eat the bombs.'

"I don't trust you on fighting something that big as a pup," he says.

'I don't trust me either,' I shrug as we split up to work with the same strategy. I taunt Queen Dodongo by facing her and putting my paws forward, pretending I want to play.

"You stupid little-" she opens her mouth and swallows another bomb thanks to Sheik. She falls again after it explodes and she's obviously had enough. She throws her head back and bellows a blue stream of fire, sending it right at Sheik. Eyes growing wide, I run under his legs and trip him, making him fall on me but luckily not get eaten by the flames. I wiggle out from under his back to see his head hit a rock I didn't see. Oops. I look up at Queen Dodongo to see her hissing at me. She stomps over and snaps at me, but I run towards the last bomb flower in here. "No you don't!" she roars and runs after me.

I keep my eyes locked onto the exploding flower, not daring to look back in fear of tripping and getting eaten. I pluck the flower just in time for the Dodongo's jaws to close around me. I start to fall down its throat but I drop the bomb and grab a piece of skin in my teeth, causing Queen Dodongo to roar in pain before the explosion goes off.

I'm sent flying through the air again, but thankfully I land safely on my paws beside Sheik, who's still knocked out. Queen Dodongo falls again, steam coming out of her mouth and nose. She picks herself up and looks at me, a playful smirk in her eyes is the last thing I expect.

"Nice fight, kid," she smiles, showing me her sharp teeth. "I haven't seen something like that since I watched my father get killed by your ancestor."

My jaw drops in surprise. "Yes, I know perfectly well that you're Hylian. And, unlike my father, I know when to quit. I need to keep my people alive, don't I? Like I promised, I will give you this," she stomps the ground, making me bounce on my paws, and a small, ruby red fire comes out of the ground. "This is the Fire of Din. It has been protected by Dodongos since the Goddess gave it to us when we were still in hiding. If you take it in this bag, it won't hurt you," she takes a cloth off one of her spikes and tosses it at me.

It lands on my head, and I hear her laughing as I shake it off. "Goodbye, little hero, I won't see any of your decedents for a long time," she walks over us, her tail almost hitting my head, and crawls back into her hole, hitting the wall and making the rocks collapse in after her.

'What a weird day,' I muse and smack Sheik in the face with my tail, waking him up with a jolt. 'Morning sunshine, we got the Fire,' I point to the flame with my nose.

After we collect the flame and look around, we see the blue light I used to get to the Chamber of Sages. We step onto the light and find ourselves in Hyrule Field near the Bridge of Eldin. Good, won't take long to get to the castle.

As we walk, something that's been bothering me comes up. 'Sheik, do you think I'll be able to keep out the puppy? Or should I not fight it?' I look up at him.

He barely gives me a glance before answering, "If you fight it, I think it might come on stronger."

'So you think I should let it take over my mind?'

"I don't know. All I know is that the puppy side of you likes to be called Shorty," he says. Is he hiding something? Did I do something as a pup that scared him?

I laugh mentally to myself. Yeah right, like an oblivious puppy can be dangerous!

-Third POV-

The Demon Lord cuts his sword through the pillar in frustration. "Not only did the hero save his friend, but now he has two of the three elements he needs to change back!"

"Calm down, Debby, let everything play out. Fighting the brat will be more fun if he's Hylian," she laughs at his annoyed face.

"Stop calling me Debby! I don't even know where you got that idea!" he yells at her.

"I don't either! Apparently the author thought it was funny!" (Gery: You hear that? *Puts hand to ear* That's the sound of the fourth wall being broken!)

"Stop speaking in nonsense and help me find a way to kill that stupid child!" Ghirahim demands.

"Yes, oh Master Debby!"

"You're lucky I can't kill you."

Gery: Finally! Goddesses, I didn't expect it to be that hard to write! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the late chapter! I'm starting school next week, so I might not get time to write much, but I'll do what I can;D! See ya!


	12. Chapter 11

To Kitaiknight97: I'm happy too:) Only (The Ocarina of) time can tell (See what I did there? ;)) You'll need to read to find out! And apparently before anypony knew his name, they just called him Debby Diamonds, I thought it would be funny to put in there. I never know what's happening in a chapter until it's typed, so I dunno, may-be. That's good, I like getting people to wonder stuff, adds a bit of mystery to the whole story! I'm happy too, it was making me sad when I couldn't get the right words, but it's all better now! Yay!

To Lady Fai: Yeah, I didn't even think about it when I was typing. Like all the other stuff that happens, it just came. And no, they don't know she's a girl. Can't wait to see their reactions when they find out the truth;)

To mylifesamuse: Neope. Not her. It's somepony else:) And yes, you get a virtual cookie for both liking this and trying to guess who that person is:D!

To alfred pierce: Yes she is:) I found out that before anyone knew his name, that's what they called him, and I thought it was funny to put in there. I am too;D!

Alex: Where have you been?

Gery: School, anyway, here's another chapter for you guys!

Adam: Gery doesn't own Zelda, she only owns the plot and OCs.

Gery: I have something to ask, what's the scariest thing or moment to you about Legend of Zelda? I'm scared of the Redeads and Gibdo, believe it or not. Those things just freak me out. It didn't help that I watched my older sibling play it when I was five and entered the Kakariko Graveyard. Seriously, Ocarina of Time should not have been rated E. Raise of hands if you agree*raises hand*. Anyway, Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Trouble at Snowpeak

"Do I even want to know what took you so long?" Midna asks as we find her in Zelda's study.

'We got taken to Dodongo's Cavern, and we got the Fire of Din, too!' I tell her, taking the bag off my back and tossing it at her. 'It was a pain to get, I'll tell ya.'

"Well, we have it. Doesn't matter how you got it. Now all we need is the Love of Nayru," Midna says, putting the bag beside the pouch with the Wind of Farore.

"Any clues as to where that will be?" Sheik asks, arms crossed as he leans on the wall.

"Not yet, Zelda's in the library trying to find it," the Twili explains. "In the meantime, you guys do whatever it is you need to do. We're not in any rush."

'Actually,' I think, remembering what Sheik said about my puppy moments. 'We might be in a rush.'

"Oh Twili Lord, what did you do now?" Midna rubs her forehead.

'S'not my fault, the puppy in me is starting to get worse!'

"What do you mean by that?"

"The longer she stays a puppy, the more she'll become it. It's happened twice in the last two days that her human side's taken over by the puppy, and she doesn't remember anything that happens while she's a puppy," Sheik says. "They happened when we were traveling back from Old Hyrule and in Dodongo's Cavern."

"Hum, that doesn't sound good…go tell Zelda. She's probably still in the library."

''Kay, thanks,' I think and run to the library. I nose the door open and peek in, making sure the lady in charge doesn't notice, and sneak in, hiding under a table when the lady goes by. I think her name's Gladys or something. I'll just call her Glad, despite what an oxymoron it is.

I wait for her to go by and I run down on of the aisle. Where's Zelly's favorite place to read again? Gah! I never come in here! I walk around the corner to see Vaati sitting at a chair, mumbling about something. Has he really been here this whole time? Wow, somebody needs to get out more.

I walk down the next aisle to see Glad sweeping and duck behind the bookcase before she can see me. I peek around just in time to see her round the corner on the other end. I keep walking through the aisles when I hear yelling, "What is a mutt doing in here?!" I cringe and look over my shoulder to see Glad running at me, holding the broom.

Groaning, I turn and run as fast as I can, not completely paying attention, and when I see the back of Zelda's head, I mind-yell at her. 'I don't want a broom to be my death!' she turns just in time for me to run past and hide under a chair.

"You just love trouble, don't you?"

'No, it loves me.'

"Excuse me, princess, but have you seen a dog around here? I need to get the mutt out," I hear Glad say and I make sure my tail isn't sticking out.

"I haven't seen any dogs. Sorry, Gladys," Zelda says and I hear the cranky old woman huff.

"Thank you anyway, princess. If you see it, come find me," the click-click of high heels tells me that she's gone. I crawl out from under the chair and shake my fur, getting the dust off me.

'Thanks, Zelly.'

"How come you took so long?"

'Well, I was tricked to go into this chamber thing, there was a picture on it, and I couldn't understand the text, it was really weird,' I say absentmindedly.

"Link."

'Right, reason I took so long. After I was tricked, a demon called Ghirahim found me. I'm guessing Midna told you?'

"Yes, I know I've heard that name before, but I can't remember where…" she crosses her arms, thinking.

'Same here. Anyway, he came and showed me this portal/image thing of Sheik lying on a platform in the middle of a lava pool. I fell through the image and landed near the pool. After going through the place we were in, it was Dodongo's Cavern, we fought the Queen, got the Fire of Din, and were teleported to the Bridge of Eldin,' I explain.

"Well, at least we didn't have to waste time looking for that one. I haven't found out where the Love of Nayru is yet, though. I can't seem to find any books on it," she sighs.

'And there's something else,' I think. 'Sheik and me think that I…might just be turning into an actual puppy. Apparently it's happened twice that my mind's been controlled by it.'

"That's not good," Zelda shakes her head. "If that's so, then we have a time limit to find the last element, bring it here and get the potion started. Looks like we'll need to look up all the books we can. And yes, by 'we', I mean you too," she says before I can sneak off.

'Dammit, I'm a fighter, not a reader,' I groan.

"Doesn't matter, I'll go ask Midna and Sheik for their help. Stay hidden here so Gladys doesn't find you," Zelda says and walks off, seeming deep in thought.

Sighing, I crawl back under the chair, sneezing at the dust. 'I really, really hate this.'

-Later-

The candles dim as the pile of books grows higher. All four of us, even with the help of Navi, have been reading book after book, but we haven't found the Love of Nayru yet.

'Nope…nope…nope…nope,' I think to myself as I flip the pages with my nose.

"Here are some more on spells," Navi says as she flies over, somehow carrying five books and dropping them on the table I'm under, making the legs wobble.

'Careful where you put those, Navi, I don't wanna be a squashed pup,' I think as I close the book and push it away, grabbing another one with my teeth.

"Well, it's not a plant," Midna says, tossing the large book on the ground and picking up one on minerals. "We're wasting so much time."

"While you read, I'll be off getting information on the element," Sheik says, gets up and leaves before we can say/think anything.

'Oh great, more for us,' I think sarcastically.

"If you're so eager, read this," Midna pushes the mineral book at me. I sigh deeply, I brought that on myself.

I flip through only ten pages before my eyes start to droop. Yawning, I put my head on my paws and let sleep tug me away.

I open my eyes to find myself lying on my back in the Sacred Realm. What am I doing here this time? I sit up and blink in surprise when I can. I look down at myself to see I'm Hylian again, and I flex my hands in front of my face with a smile.

'YES!' I jump to my feet and fist pump the air. 'I'm me again! Finally!' I laugh as I back flip and spin childishly.

"Nice to see you again, Link," the voice makes me jump and I turn around to see the Hero of Time standing there, looking amused at me as I realize I had an audience, which makes me rub the back of my head in embarrassment. "You're doing great. Took me forever to find the Sages."

I just shrug. 'What am I here for? Is the Twilight Smog coming?' I ask.

"Sadly yes, it's already starting to bite at the edges of Snowpeak. I need you to go there and see if you can find the source of the Smog."

'That shouldn't be too hard,' I think, nodding.

"But there is a setback," I tilt my head slightly. "The Smog corrupts any being that it touches, and turns them into the exact opposite of what their real selves are. There's only one way to prevent it or fix it."

'And that would be…?' I trail off, waiting for him to finish.

"I'm…not sure."

I blink at him, awkward silence filling the chamber as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. 'You're telling me that there's something that can stop the Smog from taking over someone…and you have no idea what or where it is?' I ask, making sure I heard him right.

"Yes," he nods. "I know about it, but I'm not even sure what it is. Don't look at me like that, I got the information from an old book, the pages are ripped out at the part I was looking at."

'Great. Hey, I'd like to ask something,' I say.

"I'm listening."

'What's Termina?' he smiles softly, eyes falling into the distant void of the Sacred Realm, he seems to be lost in memories.

"That's a name I haven't heard for a long time," he sighs, almost dreamily. That's different… "Termina is a place that's basically an alternate universe to Hyrule, you can get there, if you couldn't guess, through the Lost Woods. It's a very strange place, and there are people there who will most likely remind you of others you know."

'Have you been there?'

"Yes, after I fought Ganondorf, I went to search for Navi. When I was wandering through the Lost Woods, I was thrown off my horse and knocked out. Not long after, I was robbed by a Skull Kid who had acquired a strange mask that gave him dark, powerful magic," I shiver, always magic. "The most terrifying thing, however, was the moon."

'The moon? What's so bad about a moon?' I ask, scratching my head.

"It was going to crash into Termina, destroying everything and everyone." My eyes widen, a mask could do that much damage? Dear Nayru. "It was stopped, obviously, and Termina has been hidden away from Hyrule. Why do you ask?"

'Well, there's this fancy pants knight who said he came from there, his name was…Edwardo or something,' I shrug, not really carrying enough to remember Pretty Boy's name. 'Anyway, he said he was from Termina and I was wondering what it was. I thought it was a village, because he said his village was raided or something.'

He puts his hand on his chin, closing his eyes. "Hum, that doesn't sound quite right. People from Termina don't know much about us, and we don't know much about them. And the only human village is Clock Town. I'd watch him if I was you, Link. He might not be truthful about his claims," he warns.

I blink a bit. 'I've already been watching him, he has a really bad feeling about him-oh! There's another thing I want to ask, did you ever get visions of a giant beast with red/black scales, way too many teeth and likes to roar?'

He thinks for a moment. "I don't think so…no. I only had a few visions when I was getting the Sages. But they were of some enemies and a vague one of Ganon, but he looked like a demon or something familiar."

'Demon?' I think, looking down slightly. 'Like Ghirahim?'

Link looks up into the dark sky for a few seconds and nods, looking back at me. "You must go, the Smog is growing as we speak. Try to get the plant I told you about and get to Snowpeak. I'll see you again."

Like before, everything flashes white and I blink open my eyes to find myself still under the table, a wolf pup again. I shake my head and look out from under the table to see Zelda or Midna gone. Shrugging, I go over what Link told me in my head. The Smog's starting to form, and there's something to prevent it from corrupting someone, but we don't know what it is. Brilliant. Looks like there's more trouble than we thought.

I sneak out of the library without any trouble and run down the corridors, skidding to a stop when I see Pretty Boy and the end of the hall. I hide behind a suit of armour and strain my ears for any signs of him leaving. I hear him whispering something, but I can't make out what he's saying. Everything falls silent and footsteps echo in the empty corridor. Pretty Boy walks passed my hiding place, pauses for a second, and continues walking.

Once I can no longer hear him, I come out and run to the main courtyard. As I thought, I find Zelda there, still reading. 'Zelda, I talked to the Hero of Time again, he said the Twilight Smog's coming in from Snowpeak. I need to go there as soon as possible, but the Smog changes anyone who goes into it.'

"It seems we're having a race now. Alright, is there anything else?"

'Yeah, he mentioned that there's something that can prevent me from getting affected by the Smog, but he doesn't have a clue what it is. He said he got it from an old book, but the pages were ripped out.'

"Things are never easy, are they?"

'Never,' I shake my head.

"First thing's first, we need to figure out what prevents change, then we can go to Snowpeak."

'We?' I ask.

"I need to see it for myself, if I do, I can tell what it looks like if, and more than likely when, it reaches Hyrule," Zelda explains, skimming over a book page.

'Okay, any clue what it could be?' I trot over and sit beside her.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll be able to find it," she says, flipping the page.

'I hope so, it might help me keep my human side,' I think, putting my head on my paws. Zelda only nods and continues reading. I gaze around the courtyard, lazily taking in the familiar sight. I'm worried about Yeto and Yeta, if the Smog's hit them, it could be bad when we try to go up there. They are really kind, but it can be…dangerous to get between them.

I know from experience. My side hurt for a week after Yeto knocked me over.

I hope they're alright, I don't want to have to fight either of them, let alone Yeta again. I wonder what the thing to help us is, all I can hope is that it's not magic involved. Why is everything so much harder than it has to be? It could be simple, we could just find the thing to help us, and get going. But we need to know what it is first.

I'm taken out of my thoughts when I hear Navi's voice call mine and Zelda's names. I look up to see the blue fairy flying in, panting. "We have some trouble…"

'What's going on?' I ask as I sit behind Zelda's throne.

"I'm not sure, but stay quiet," she whispers.

The doors open and I can't help but peek around to see what's happening. A man walks in, his right arm limp and bloody as he's helped by another man, who has a cut on his forehead. "Princess," the man with the cut forehead talks in a raspy voice. "We were hunting out in the fields, when this strange black beast came out of nowhere and attacked us. We lost three of the others and only managed to escape because an even weirder man came and told the beasts to leave. He let us go, but only if we deliver a message to you."

"What did this man look like?" Zelda asks.

"We never saw his face, he wore an odd helmet the entire time, reminded me of a fish or a frog."

'Zant,' I glare at the wall, resisting the urge to growl.

"And what was his message?"

"He said, 'I will let you live, but on one condition: You tell your princess that she and her little helper can try all they like, but they will not stop the Smog from coming. I will not bother to fight them, for they shall parish once the three of us have taken over the land.'"

'Three of us?' I wonder. 'He must mean himself, Ghirahim and that crazy lady Sheik, Midna and me heard in the Palace of Winds.'

"Is that all he said?" Zelda asks.

"Yes, princess, that is all he said before he disappeared," the man nods, starting to tremble from the weight of his companion.

"Thank you. I will have a servant take you to the healer's wing, you may stay until you have both recovered," Zelda nods for their dismissal and three servants help the men out. Once the room is empty, Zelda lets her composer fall and she hits the back of her head on the throne.

'We really are running short on time,' I frown inwardly. 'What are we going to do?'

"We need to go to Snowpeak, with or without help to keep us sane. We'll need to know what we're up agenised and this might be the only chance we have. I'll tell Matthew that I'll be away for a while," Zelda gets up and walks out of the hall, I gallop to keep up with her.

Navi flies beside my head as she asks, "The Smog is coming?"

'Yeah, it's already on Snowpeak. There's supposed to be something to help us not change in the Smog, but we don't know what it is,' I tell her.

"Well…I know about a plant that, when eaten, can help someone remember who they are. It was used on corrupted solders a long time ago. If I remember correctly, it was called Memory Unlock. It grows near water," she explains.

'Really? Well we won't have to worry after all, we need to go through Zora's Domain to get to Snowpeak,' I think. 'Are you coming?'

"No, I'm going to help get information on where the Love of Nayru is. I'll be able to help you any time after that," she says.

"Thanks for your help, Navi," Zelda smiles. "Now we don't have to waste so much time."

"Always here to help," the fairy bobs up and down before flying off.

'I hope that the Domain's recovered from the drought,' I think.

"We'll have to wait and see. If it hasn't, we can probably find some in Jabu Jabu's Lake."

'Just hope I don't get eaten again,' I shake my head. Thinking of being in the whale-fish's stomach, I think of Cerberus and Chimera. Are they alright? Those two helped us a lot.

"You shouldn't have to worry. He's healed now, remember?"

I nod as we enter her room. I sit in front of the door as I wait for Zelda to change. She does so quickly, and is now wearing breeches and a plain shirt. 'It's weird not seeing you in a dress,' I think.

"It was weird seeing you in a dress," she replies, smirking slightly as I feel my furry face heat up.

'It was a once in a lifetime thing,' I think, looking down. The thought of almost kissing Sheik still on my mind. I'm surprised it hasn't been completely awkward around him, but that might be because we both got distracted with Dodongo's Cavern.

"Alright, I just need to talk to the Chancellor. Wait here until then," Zelda says, leaving and closing the door behind her.

Still hard to believe I wore a dress. So many different things happened that night. Adam and Nura got all lovey-dovey, Pretty Boy wanted to dance with me, for some reason, and then Sheik saved me on an impulse. I find that so weird, he really seems like someone who thinks of plans, yet he asks me to dance. I wonder what drove him to help me.

Questions. The only thing that seems to be on my mind lately. And I hate it.

Once Zelda comes back, we head out. When we're just outside the stables, the ground moves and Logan the Mogma pops up, holding a bag. "I got the powder you asked for," he says, handing it to Zelda.

"Thank you, Logan," Zelda smiles and he burrowed back into the earth after petting my head. I shake my head and look at Zelda.

'What's that about?' I ask.

"I asked him to get some stones and make dust out of them. This is just an ingredient to the potion to cure you," she says, putting it into her satchel. "Let's go, we should try to make it to Snowpeak by nightfall."

We go into the stables and Zelda brings out her grey stallion. Oh great, I'm going to have to go into the saddlebag again, won't I? Like I thought, I'm put into the bag. 'No one can let me have my pride, can they?' I mind-grumble, huffing when Zelda laughs. 'And that includes you.'

"Link, after this, you'll probably never have your pride again," she says as she leads her horse out of the stables.

'Thanks, Zel,' I roll my eyes.

She just laughs and makes her horse gallop. My mind buzzes, but it only lasts for a few seconds, so I just shake it off and put my head on my paws, closing my eyes in boredom.

Guess I fell asleep, since the next moment I hear Zelda trying to wake me up. 'A few more minutes,' I mind-mumble, turning away from her.

"Link, if you don't wake up right now, I'll zap you with magic," she says calmly and my head shoots up.

'I'm awake,' I think as I stand up in the saddlebag. We're above Lake Hylia now and the sun is an hour and a bit passed midpoint. 'Back to where I was cursed. Why do I always end up back to where things happen to me?' I ask.

"You're just unlucky," Zelda says and helps me out. We look over the edge of the bridge to see the lake full, so the Domain must be close to being back to normal or is. Either way, we can get up there and not have to worry about the heat.

'Hey, how will I get down? I can't grab onto a Cucco, I'll hurt them,' I think.

"I'm not sure. But there should be a side path down there," Zelda says, walking over to the side of the cliff and looking down. "Here we are, we'll have to do some rock climbing, but it's better than me teleporting you down," she says as I trot over, looking over the side.

'How could I miss this?' I ask myself.

"Face it, Link, you're not the most observant person out there. And in more ways than one," I tilt my head, but she just smiles and I see a glint of knowing in her eyes. What does she mean by that? Ugh, I need to stop asking myself these questions.

Looking over the edge again, we start to descend down the path. Still can't figure out how I never saw it before. It could explain how Fyer got down, but I guess I never questioned that before.

We come to a small space of grass and go into the water. At least I can still swim, and since I still have the Dragon Scale, I can easily swim in the water without having to worry. That's a plus. 'Hey, Zel, how are we gunna get to the Domain?' I ask.

"Adam told me that there's a tunnel that leads to there, so we can use that," she says.

I blink, really? Wish I would have known that before Shadow flew up on the Guay. Would have saved us a lot of bruises. Sighing quietly, I follow Zelda to the spot beside the waterfall. I can't see any tunnel. 'Are you sure?' I ask.

"Yes," she nods, going towards the waterfall and stepping into it. When she doesn't come out, I go over and walk behind it to find the tunnel.

'Why are they always hidden?' I wonder.

"They're hidden to you, because you always manage to find the hard way to places."

'Can't argue with that,' I shrug as we follow the tunnel. Water drips from the roof and small streams trickle down the walls and across the floor, making the only sounds other than our footsteps.

It doesn't take too long, and soon we come out to see the Domain once again filled with water, the Zoras all relaxing or swimming. We stop for a short while to see if we can find the plant, but we don't know what exactly we're looking for. Not wanting to waste time, we go to the icy path that leads to Snowpeak and head up, Zelda taking out a cloak and tying it around her neck. Just like before, a huge snowstorm blows across the mountain base, the frozen lake covered in ice flows and the occasional ice burg.

I shake my fur and we start walking, going down the small cliff that lets us go to the lake. I look into the black water and shiver, I feel into that stuff more than once when I first came here, and all I had was the Hero's Clothes, since the Zora Armour's weakened by ice.

"Alright, can you find the fish scent?" Zelda asks.

'Uh,' I sniff but can't find the smell. 'No, Yeto must not have taken any fish for some time. The snow's wiped the smell away.'

"Looks like we're doing this by eye," Zelda says.

'Great,' I think, remembering the times I got lost. 'Let's hope I can remember the route,' I trot to the first ice flow and step on, legs wobbling uncontrollably on the slippery surface. 'Okay, at least this is better than when I was Hylian,' I think to myself. I slide to the edge and jump to the next flow, digging my claws into the ice before I can fall into the water.

At the fourth flow, I see the water ripple at the far end. Sensing danger, my ears perk up and I attentively walk towards the edge, careful not to slip. I look back to see Zelda looking around, sensing the danger too as she takes out a bow. I look back to the water to see the ripples gone, but the unease still hangs in the hair.

The flow I'm standing on suddenly rumbles and shakes, making me slide around it. I see a shadow in the water before it comes out, soaking me to the bone with freezing water as it does. Shivering, I look up to see a large Octorock towering over me, its many eyes locked on us.

It slams a tentacle at my flow, making one end dunk into the water, and I start sliding down when it rights itself and tips the other way, sending me back. Zelda shoots an arrow and strikes one of the Octo's eyes, causing it to flail its tentacles and hit my flow again, making it capsize. I slam into the water and gasp as the freezing liquid burns my skin. I swim to the surface, shivering and already having the water on me turn to ice, and look up to see the Octo ram me over as it swims at Zelda.

I toss and turn in the water as the cold starts to affect me. I start to slow down, my body trying to stay warm, and my eyes start to close when a hand grabs the back of my rough. Through fuzzy vision, I see Zelda's carrying me and running. I can hear the Octo chasing us when Zelda jumps, turns in the air and lands in the snow on the other side of the lake, facing the Octorock. She holds me in her cloak with her left hand and takes out her thin sword with her right, calmly standing her ground as the giant, squid-like monster charges.

She dodges the rocks it spits at us and once the Octo's near the edge, ready to slam into us, she jumps at it and stabs it between its eyes until only an inch of the blade and the hilt are outside of the Octorock's head. She kicks off its head and lands in the snow again, sheathing her sword on her hip as the Octorock falls back into the water.

'W-wow, n-nice going, Z-Zel,' I think, still shivering. Zelda tucks me inside her cloak more and surrounds me in it.

"It's always you," she says as she starts walking. "Just try to stay awake and don't move, you don't want to waste your body heat."

'Okay,' I nod internally as she dries me off as best she can, still going up the mountain.

Somehow I manage to stay awake and we come to a small cave that's protected from the storm, only having a couple Ice Keese and a pack of two Snow Wolfos get in our path. Zelda takes a spare cloak out of her bag and wraps me inside it before starting on the fire. She makes a small one and starts to cook some meat, and we wait in silence as the smell fills the tiny cave.

'How bad will I be affected once I turn back to normal?' I ask, snuggling as far as I can into the cloak.

"I don't know, all we can do is hope you don't get any major problems, like frost bite or a broken tailbone," she says, taking the meat off with a dagger.

'I'm sorry,' she looks at me in confusion. 'I know it's not my fault being like this, but I feel like a burden.'

"Link, you're not a burden," Zelda says, sitting down beside me and giving me some meat. "You help others no matter what, others helping you shouldn't make you feel like you're helpless. You get so caught up in making other people happy and safe that you don't realize that you need others to do the same with you. You should know by now that you have many friends that will help you through anything."

'I know, but I can't help it,' I think, eating the meat and letting it heat my insides.

"Link, when you're back to normal, I'm making you have another short rest before going to find the last two Sages. And I'm not letting you protest," she says like she wants me to dare arguing.

'…Fine,' I sigh, putting my head on my paws.

"What made you think you were a burden in the first place?" Zelda asks.

'I don't know, I think it's instinct to help others, but it's not instinct when others help me.'

"You will probably get used to it, because I think someone would help you no matter what," she smiles mysteriously.

'Midna?'

"She's one of them, but not the person I'm thinking of."

'…Ilia?'

"No."

'Uh…the Resistance?'

"They're not who I'm thinking of. Come on, Link, you can't tell me you have no idea who I'm talking about."

'…I have no idea who you're talking about,' I think with a sheepish look as she sighs, lying down on her back.

"You are very unobservant, Link," is all she says.

I blink. Who would help me no matter what? And why?

And why does everyone tell me I'm oblivious or unobservant? About what?

'I'm gunna get a headache if I think on this any further,' I think, shaking my head as I curl up, my fur only slightly damp now. I sneeze a little, but pass it off and eventually drift to a light sleep.

-The next morning-

I open my eyes after a restless sleep, blinking dully as I lift my head and yawn widely. "How are you feeling?" I look at the fire to see Zelda tending to it.

'Ugh,' I respond and put my head back down. 'I'll live.'

"The storm settled last night, so we'll have an easier time up to Snowpeak."

'Well that's something,' I think and get to my feet, pushing my exhaustion to the back of my mind. 'Well I can move again, that's always good.'

Zelda just smiles and puts out the fire as I try, and fail, to roll up the cloak. I get my back paw tangled in it. 'How did this even happen?!' I ask myself as I tug it out.

"Do you need help?" Zelda asks, smiling in amusement.

'Please?' I sigh.

She laughs and folds up the cloak, putting it back into her satchel before hanging it over her shoulder. "Let's go, we don't want to waste daylight."

We leave the cave to see the snow only gently falling now, like dust. I look up at the peak and feel my ears and tail drop. 'Zelly, we might have a problem,' I think. Surrounding the top of Snowpeak, there's a large, purple cloud, obscuring any view of the top. It looks like it's slowly moving at a snail's pace, inching its way down the mountain. 'Is that Twilight Smog?'

"It must be. This is worse than I thought," Zelda mutters. "We need to get up there and see if Yeto and Yeta made it out of their mansion before this happened."

'Sure hope so, they're really nice,' I think to myself as we start walking, at a faster pace than before. Despite the snow touching my stomach, I don't feel cold. It's probably the realization of what kind of thing we're up agenised.

We climb up the mountain as the sun burns away the clouds, letting us see to the frozen lake and the rest of Snowpeak. I occasionally look up at the Smog, feeling dread fill me whenever I do. It's like an omen. What's worse is that, other than the ones we saw last night, no Snow Wolfos or Ice Keese seem to be around. It's like they vanished. We finally come to the highest point before the Smog, and I can see red markings covering it. I can feel a harsh, evil aura coming from it and I gulp as we get closer.

'Are you sure about this?' I ask, looking up at Zelda.

"I thought I was," she replies. "I had hoped we'd be able to find the yetis, but it looks like they're trapped in there. I don't think it would be smart to go in."

'Without the plant Link and Navi told us about, we can't,' I think when I hear something come from the Smog. It's almost like a whisper. 'Do you hear that?' I ask.

"Yes, and I don't trust it," Zelda says, taking out her bow. After long seconds of silence, the Smog ripples like disturbed water and my breath goes short when I see a darkened version of Yeto come out, his once white-grey fur a deep purple like the Twilight Smog and his yellow eyes now full white irises. His fangs, which had been long before, have grown and his claws have become wicked sharp. In other words, it looks like he just walked out of Din's Hell.

'Farore's Spirit,' I think, eyes wide. 'Yeto?'

The giant yeti roars loudly and we take this as a signal to run. We sprint the other way, but find that he's now chasing after us, running quickly despite his size. He leaps forward and lands in front of us, swiping at us with his claws. We dodge just before we're sliced into pieces and he doesn't take this lightly. He takes a frozen tree out of the ground and swings it like a club, just missing Zelda as she jumps out of the way.

"We need to make it to the lake, he won't be able to cross!" she yells as the storm picks up again.

'Alright!' I mind-yell back as something sharp almost hits me, it enables itself into the snow before I can see what it is.

I look over my shoulder to see Yeto still pursuing us, his eyes wild. I wish there was something I could do.

"Zelda! Link!" I hear Navi's voice cut through the gale of snow and look up to see her blue aura amidst the storm.

'Navi!' I call, the storm is now blinding me. 'What are you doing here?'

"I have what you need to get into the Smog!" she yells, flying to my face and holding a plant that looks like a small piece of vine. "This will let you go. What are you running from?"

Yeto suddenly comes out of the storm, landing in front of us and sending a wave of snow over us. I somehow end upside-down in the snow and my head becomes stuck. 'Him. It's Yeto, can you make him eat the plant?' I ask, trying to push my head out.

"I should be able to, yes!" she yells. I wait as patiently as I can as I feel the snow tremble around me. Yeto found me.

I hear voices and finally I get my head unstuck. Shaking the snow off, I look behind me to see Yeto lying on the ground, slowly fading back to his normal colour. Navi's hovering over him and Zelda's trickling some red potion into his mouth. I trot over as he opens his eyes, which are hazy and back to their normal yellow. He groans as I sits up, holding his head. "What happen?" he asks himself in his usual deep, intimidating but kind voice.

"You were possessed by the Twilight Smog," Zelda tells him gently, taking the vine from Navi. "This plant cured you. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Yes, little human. Yeto was making more soup for Yeta after we go sledding, it was fun time, when suddenly dark cloud come and slowly consume house. Yeto ran to Yeta as fast as he could, but before he get to room, his head become fuzzy and his body start aching. Yeto tried to find what wrong, but then Yeto's mind went blank," he explains.

"Do you know what happened to Yeta?" Zelda asks.

"After we find mirror and give to even tinnier human," I huff when Navi giggles, "We find way to guard room. If Yeta still there, she safe from weird cloud."

"Good. Don't worry, Yeto, we can find Yeta and bring her out of the cloud. You stay here and if the cloud expands, move down the mountain, okay?" Zelda tells him.

"Okay, Yeto go do that," he nods and stands, smiling. "Yeto wait by tree while little human find Yeta," he steps over to a tree, almost stepping on me, and sits.

"Thank you," Zelda nods as I shake myself. "Now we shouldn't have to worry about changing in the Smog. There's enough for all three of us."

'Okay,' I nod as she breaks off a piece of the vine and hands it to me. I take it and chew, resisting the urge to spit it out. 'It tastes like frogs,' I think, seeing Zelda eat and swallow her's quickly.

"And how would you know what frogs taste like?" she asks, drinking some water before passing some to me.

'What? I was three, bored, lonely and naïve,' I defend myself.

"One of those things you still are," Navi remarks.

'I'm not _that_ bored, I'm just getting tired of being a pup,' I think.

"That's not what I mean," she sighs, taking the piece Zelda gives her.

Shrugging it off, I feel my mind become clearer and more alert. I hope this works in the Smog. We climb back up the mountain, once again finding ourselves at the edge of the Smog. 'I'll go first,' I think and walk up to it before Zelda can say anything. I close my eyes and walk through. Once the feeling of cold water passes me, I open my eyes to see the world turned into a warped, dark version of itself. And many, many black Snow Wolfos and grey Ice Keese. So this is where they went. Oh boy.

I look back to see Zelda walk through and Navi flies in, landing on my back with her wings falling. 'What's wrong?' I ask.

'This place is filled with so much dark force, I can't take it all at once,' she gasps, only able to talk through telepathy.

'You don't have to come,' I think.

'I'll adjust to it quickly, I only need to rest,' she tells me.

'Okay,' I'm still worried, but I push it out of my mind. Looking ahead, I can see the cave that brought me to the ruins before. We walk over and I frown as I think. How can we all get through this?

"Stand back, Link," Zelda says, taking off her right glove and walking up to the wall. I do as she says and watch as her Triforce glows, her eyes closed as she runs her hand over the stone. Her Triforce piece glows brightly when she reaches the far left of the stone, right above the spot where I can dig to get through. The whole wall flashes before disappearing into thin air.

'Nice, all my Triforce can do is make me fight monsters,' I think.

"That's only a small bit of it. You've never had to use you Triforce, Link, you haven't even unlocked all you can do yet," Zelda says as we start through the tunnel/cave.

It doesn't take long to get through it, even with a few stops from killing Ice Keese that have turned a deep, almost black, navy blue, and we come to the top of the mountain. The frozen tree with the large leaves is still standing and we walk up to it, the path to the mansion stretched on like before us. Zelda pulls out her bow and hits the steam of a leaf, letting it fall.

'Why didn't I think of that? I just rolled into the tree,' I think.

"Link, I don't know if you haven't realized this, but you like to take action over thinking," Navi says. I glare at the snow in front of me.

'Thanks, Navi,' I think sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

I feel my ear twitch in annoyance. Everyone's a smartarse. And that includes me.

Suddenly I spot something in the snow and trot over to it. I dig around it to find a Snow Wolfos bone. Why in Hyrule would this be here? This doesn't make any-

**Bone!**

My eyes widen, oh-no. The plant just stops us from changing into the opposites of who we are, but I don't think it helps with the-

Everything goes blank.

-Third POV-

"Well, we should get going, we don't want to stand in the open and get attacked," Zelda says as she turns and frowns when she sees Link gnawing on a bone. "Link?"

She just ignores Zelda as she bites the bone, growling lightly and playfully. "I don't know what happened, she just saw the bone and starting acting like this," Navi says, trying to get Link's attention off the bone.

"This must be what she was talking about," Zelda says, walking over and crouching, Link just ignores her. "Her mind sometimes gets overruled by the puppy in her."

"Oh Deku Sprout," Navi mutters. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll wait and see if she recovers from it. If she doesn't by nightfall, we'll need to keep going."

Navi bobs up and down, looking worriedly at Link, who has now thrown the bone away and is digging in the snow. "She's not going to have any of her pride left if this keeps happening."

"She'll just try to forget this ever happened," Zelda says as she sits under the tree. "So this has happened three times now, and only in the last few days. If this keeps up, she might not even be able to be herself again."

"If that's the case, then we'll need to find the Love of Nayru fast, and hope it's not too late."

"How did you find us exactly?"

"Well, I had a bad feeling, so I flew to the Domain as fast as I could. As I was going through, I saw the vine and it matched what I remembered. After that, I knew I would find you two on the mountain, so I just flew up."

"You've been a great help, Navi. I appreciate it."

Navi's aura shines slightly brighter at this.

The blackened sun of the Twilight Smog seems to stand still as time goes by, the fairy and princess trying to keep an eye on the hyper-active wolf pup that won't stop moving. Eventually, she goes up to Zelda with a small stick in her mouth, sitting down in front of her with her ears down and her tail thudding in the snow happily.

Smiling softly, Zelda takes the stick and throws it into the snow, making Shorty run after it barking, her tail wagging like no tomorrow. She digs in the snow until she finds the stick and runs back. For the next ten minutes, Zelda continues to throw the stick for Shorty, unaware of the pack of Snow Wolfos in the shadows of the mountain until they growl.

Zelda grabs her bow and stands, attaching an arrow as she scans the area, whistling for Shorty. The naïve, pup version of Link runs over and pants, stick still in her mouth. The Snow Wolfos emerge from the shadows and snow, snarling as saliva dripped to the still white blanket. The Snow Wolfos look different than their un-smog counterparts, instead of the pure white fur, they have storm cloud gray coats with white on their chests, and their usual red eyes are a crystal blue.

_The Smog changes everything it touches, does that include these Wolfos_? Zelda wonders, raising her bow at the closest wolf-like creature.

Apparently not. Just like the Ice Keese they had encountered in the cave, the Smog Wolfos attack. Two of them jump at the Hylian, who dances around them and shoots one in the shoulder, making it howl as dark purple blood falls and stains the white snow. "So the Smog changes their blood too, not just their outer look," Navi says, zapping a Wolfos that tried to swipe at her.

"Seems like it," Zelda nods, shooting the second Wolfos that jumped at her through the heart.

Unnoticed by them, a particularly large Wolfos, most likely the Alpha male, is creeping up on Shorty, who by now has sensed the emergency coming from the human and fairy she's with. She drops the stick and stands up, crouching at the Alpha with teeth bared. The Alpha snorts in her face, seeming to laugh at her for trying to seem brave, but blinks when the pup in front of him scratches his snout. He doesn't feel it, but the shock of this pup actually attacking him causes him to take a step back.

Regaining his composure, the Alpha growls at the nerve of the pup before snapping forward. Shorty yelps and stumbles back, getting the tip of her ear taken off by the large Wolfos. She growls back at him, when Navi flies over and zaps the Alpha with a strong blast of lightning. The Alpha howls and bats the fairy away into the snow with enough force to knock her out.

Zelda curses under her breath, something she doesn't normally do, when she sees the obvious Alpha male bite at Shorty, but luckily misses, and she curses again when another large Wolfos, maybe the Beta male, leaps over her and takes her bow. She takes out her sword but doesn't get the chance to raise it when a Wolfos she didn't hear behind her bites her leg, making her scream as she falls to the snow, clenching her bleeding calf.

The Wolfos close in around her, the Beta ready to take her down, when the Alpha howls at them. They look at him to find the pup in his mouth, not moving, but still breathing. With a silent command, the Wolfos follow after the Alpha, ignoring Zelda and Navi as they head down a side path of the mountain.

Zelda, still unable to move, tries her best to get up, but the burning pain in her leg stops her. The world started to blur as her energy left her, and she could do nothing as her head fell, the blood from her wound staining the snow crimson.

Gery: Hope you don't kill me because of the minor cliffhanger. Anyway, now with the knowledge of what the Twilight Smog can do to a person, Link becomes Shorty again, Zelda and Navi are left on the mountain top, and we still have yet to find out what happened to Yeta. Ooh, suspense! But not really. See ya!


	13. Thanksgiving Special!

Thanksgiving Special!

Gery: Happy Thanksgiving anypony who celebrates it this day and happy early Thanksgiving to everypony else! For this occasion, I present Silent Courage's first Holiday Special! Enjoy!

An eleven-year-old Link looked out the window of her house as the moon rose in the sky, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Now was a great time to see Rocky, nobody would come check on her at night. She closed the window and climbed down the ladders that led to the main floor of the house. She grabbed a cloak, a lantern and some raw goat meat, fresh from that day. She put the meat and lantern into a small satchel she had and left the house, peeking out and closing the door silently behind her.

Making sure no one is out right now, she went down the path that led out of Ordon, you'd think Rusl would realize by now how many times she's snuck out to the forest. Oh well, more exploring for her. She pulled the hood of her cloak up and walked down the path, going passed the Spirit Spring and over the rope bridge. She kept going deeper into the trees, the darkness giving her a comfort as she trudged through mud. Link was defiantly an odd one, she was the only one in her village that wasn't scared of the night and the monsters that come out, and she loved to explore all she could, the farthest she's gone is the old tree near the abandoned stall, but she hadn't gone there in a while.

The moon gave light as she walked off the usual path and into the bush, disappearing into the darkness surrounding the trees. Ten minutes later, she moved a bush aside to see a sleeping form under a tree, its chest moving up and down steadily as it breaths. She crept up, smiling as she pulled out the goat meat. Careful not to scare it, she shook the thing's shoulder and its eyes instantly opened. It snapped at her face, making her fall back, before recognizing her, and sniffing her, making sure he didn't hurt her.

She laughed lightly and ran her finger down between Rocky's eyes, his favorite spot to be scratched. He cooed and walked around her, nudging her playfully as she smiles brightly. He was getting big, he hatched not even a year ago and already he was twice as long as she was, she had no doubt he'd be huge when he was fully grown. Whenever that was. Rocky chirped "Ma," and hugged his head around her shoulders.

Link couldn't help but laugh a bit more, he got into the habit of calling her his Ma, guess it's because she was the first thing he saw. She was still curious of how he got into the cave, and why in Hyrule he was alone, it was like he was abandoned and left to die. It was hard taking care of him, he grew so fast and ate so much, and all the scars he's left from biting her still haven't healed yet. But she could take it, she had to, he couldn't survive on his own at such a young age. Besides, he's learning to hunt on his own, Link doesn't even need to bring nearly as much food, which is good, Rusl was getting suspicious when a load of meat just disappeared.

They stared at the stars as Link used Rocky as a pillow, his neck was wrapped around her and he rested his head on her lap as she scratched behind the mask he's always had. They just sat in silence when the full moon started to change. Gasping, Link sat up and looked fearfully at the once white moon, which was slowly turning orange. Was something wrong? Rocky didn't feel her fear, he just looked at it in wonder. What was doing this? Was something bad going to happen?

"Ahh, you silly mortals, always believing something as beautiful as an eclipse is an omen sent from Din's Hell," the whispery voice made Link jump to her feet and Rocky growled at the figure. He had no face, only a mouth, and his skin was like a shadow, he wore a silvery robe and glided over to them calmly, ignoring Rocky's growls. "Listen, kid, this happens every so often, that the moon and sun cross paths. When this happens, an eclipse is displayed. There are two different eclipses, a lunar and solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is much more common than a solar."

Link just stared up at him, no longer afraid of the faceless man. Her eyes seemed to yell "Why did you sneak up on us? I can hurt you, you know!"

The man's mouth smirked, "You can't hurt me, kid. Besides, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to watch the eclipse, and you just so happened to have the honour of watching it with me," he said as the moon started to turn back to normal. "Now, listen kid, don't be afraid of things you don't understand, you won't be much of a hero if you're scared of unexplainable phenomenon," these words confused Link, what did he mean by hero? "You'll learn someday, kid. Now, I got to go, Din doesn't like it when I give hints to one's destiny," he laughed and disappeared in silver smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Link and Rocky were alone once again.

"Ma?" Rocky chirped after a few minutes. Link shrugged, she had no idea, and was outright confused as to why that man told her about not being afraid of the unexplainable. And a hero? Her? That was as likely as her being able to communicate with somebody.

Noticing how low the moon was, Link scratched Rocky between his eyes again before running back to Ordon, hoping she hadn't been caught. When she passed the Spirit Spring again, she didn't notice a pair of goat eyes watching her from the water.

-In the Realm of the Goddesses-

"LUNE! WHY IN THE NAME OF ME DID YOU TALK TO HER?" Din yelled at the still grinning man, who was lounging on a chair.

"Hey, she was afraid of an eclipse, just like all those other mortals, she needed to know that being afraid of something like that is stupid, and she now knows," he said.

"She can't know anything about her part in this! And you openly say she can't be a hero if afraid of that! She might be young, but she's not stupid, Lune."

"I know, but she'll be confused, and since she can't tell anyone about it, she'll forget about until the time comes," he waved his hand lazily. "Relax Din, you don't see Farore blowing her top, do you? The girl's her chosen after all."

"Farore doesn't have a yelling bone in her body. And I don't care if it's her chosen, my Triforce has a part in all this too, but Hyrule do I wish it didn't," she growled. "I'm a Goddess! I shouldn't have been so weak as to let Ganondork take my power!"

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes, besides, once the Triforce was in Hyrule, you no longer had control of it. Don't worry, I have a feeling after this, Ganon won't have your power anymore," Lune smirked, being the God of night, future and tricksters had its benefits.

-In Ordon-

Link made it back into her home without getting caught and smiled as she put her lantern and cloak away, humming to herself an Ordonian tune that played at festivals. Hopefully she could sleep in the next morning, taking care of a rapidly growing dragon is not easy. Yawning, she climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her head, falling asleep instantly.

-The next morning-

"Link? Are you here?" Rusl opened the door and chuckled when he saw the lump under the covers, snoring quietly. She's been so tired for the last few months, the blacksmith couldn't figure out why. He walked over to her and shook her shoulder, waking her up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, yawning as she looked up at Rusl.

"Come on, Link, we need to get Ordon set up for the Harvest Festival," he smiled as she kicked her legs over the side and yawned again. "I'll be waiting by the Ranch," he said and left.

Link quickly got dressed into her usual Ordon clothes and left her home after grabbing an apple. She munched on it as she walked through the tiny village and came to the Ranch, where goats were roaming free at the moment. She tossed the apple core into the grass and went to the Cucco Hut, but didn't see Rusl there. That's weird, he never let her kill one on her own. Where was he?

She wandered around the Ranch before going to the barn, opening the door to hear snorts and hoof stomps. She walked in and went to the last stall, which held the working horse Aly, a large mare with a brown coat and black mane. Her belly had been getting bigger lately, and Link was growing worried. Rusl was in the stall with Fado beside him, Fado was explaining what was happening, but Link didn't understand.

Rusl was nodding when he spotted Link peeking in. She ducked behind the stall door and grinned sheepishly when he opened it, like when she was caught doing something she shouldn't. "Don't worry, Link, I actually wanted you to see this," Rusl opened the door wider and let Link come in, she looked curiously at Aly, who looked like she was in a lot of pain.

"Ya'll don't have ta worry, bud," said Fado, sitting down. "Yer 'bout ta see somethin' amazing."

She was still confused and curious as she sat down between Fado and Rusl, tilting her head slightly.

With all the things she's seen, Link's just amazed she hadn't become crazy yet.

Aly wasn't sick at all! She was having a baby! Link should have known, Uli's stomach grew before she had Colin a few years ago.

The baby horse was small and covered in goo, but it was one of the most magical things she's ever seen, close to when she saw Colin for the first time. The baby struggled to get on its hooves, and Link was doubtful that it would get up at all, but was proven wrong when the baby horse stood and stumbled to Aly to get milk. Link could feel the smile on her face growing with every second, and soon her face hurt.

"Wonderful, isn't it?" Rusl whispered, hugging her into his side with one arm. She didn't take her eyes off the foal and decided now was a good time to introduce herself.

She stood up and slowly walked to Aly and her new baby, her hand outstretched as she crouched a foot away from the foal. "Link," Rusl and Fado warned, getting to their feet when the foal reached the rest of the distance and touched its head to the girl's hand, to the men's surprise.

Link smiled wider and she kept petting the foal, which was calm. It was like they were meeting as old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. Link's eyes shone as the foal opened its brown eyes and looked at Link before letting its head fall down, and quickly fell asleep. Link backed up before running out of the stall. Rusl and Fado shook their heads, she was a mystery, even to them.

Link rummaged through her house, looking for paper and charcoal. When she finally found them, she quickly wrote in Cucco-scratching and ran back to the ranch, smile never leaving her face. She passed the other villagers, who were confused, and came into the barn as Rusl and Fado were leaving. Rusl went to the Cucco hut and Fado went to bring the goats in. The eleven-year-old went into the barn and took a nail out of the floor, she used it to pin the paper on the door.

Instead of just 'Aly', there was now 'Aly and Epona' beside the stall door. Not really knowing how she came up with the name, Link left to help Rusl with the Cuccos.

Later that night, lightning bugs danced as the villagers enjoyed the meal. Link watched as the small lightning bugs flew above the water, casting their reflections into the water. Some fish, like the Common Ordon Bass, jump out of the surface and catch some of the bugs for their own meal. Owls hooted from the trees, Wolfos howled from the Faron Woods, and Link looked up at the moon, which was starting to become smaller once more. She loved Ordon, and she always would, but she just wanted something…more.

Lune stood in the tree that grew in the center of the village, smirking as the kid clumsily danced with a friend of hers. "Heh, don't worry, kid, there's much more to you than you know," he whispered to himself before leaving in a cloud of silver smoke.

Gery: There you go! Sorry it's a little short, but I think I'll leave the specials like that. Hope you enjoyed learning a bit about Link's past. It's a mystery to all. I'll try to get the next real chapter up by this month. See ya!


	14. Chapter 12

To alfred pierce: Good, I'm not the only person who thinks that. I'm not really good with suspense, but I guess I'm getting it, I dunno. Wow, I made someone squeal? Didn't know you were that excited to read this=). Really? When I first started this, I didn't know so many people would like my writing. I don't think I'm that good. Anyway! Yes, the saddlebag is Link's weakness as a puppy. Link always gets into so much trouble, and I find it hilarious XD

To Lady Fai: Eeyup, again. Didn't explain that, did I? Oh well, it'll be explained and we'll find out more about the Smog Wolfos pack later. Aww, really? Dammit, that's the hardest thing to spell for me -_-' Oh well, thanks for telling me! (Special) I'm happy you like it ^_^. Huh, I didn't intend that, oh well, that's kinda funny.

To Mihang: No worries. Yeah, took a little while to get back into the flow of school and out of school stuffs, but I should be able to figure out how I'm going to type. Anyway, I'm not really good with suspense, but I'm glad you like it. (And yes, Shink gets referenced a lot, and Linky doesn't even know it;))

To RandomCasekid5: Thank you. And yes, cliffhangers are fun. Makes you wonder what happens next;). I'm starting to get a better idea of why Vaati's in there, and being a nerd's awesome! :D

To Shiro: Oh 'hank you! :) Yeah, cliffhangers are fun, even if I get tomatoes thrown at me. Oh Zelda, you cause so many mental scars…mine being terrified of zombies now a days…but I love you.

Gery: Hey! Guess what?

Nura and Adam: What?

Gery: Cucco butt:D

Alex: You're so immature

Gery: Only sometimes. Disclaimer!

Adam: How many times do we have to say this? Gery doesn't own anything but the plot and OCs.

Chapter 12: The Pack of Snowpeak

Ooh, my head hurts. Groaning quietly, I open my eyes to see I'm in a cave. What the…how did I get here? I shake my head and try to get to my feet, but my legs collapse under me. It's like someone hit me over the head with something. I put my paws on my head to rub the sore spot, wincing slightly when I feel a small claw mark. Were we attacked?

'Oh wait…dammit, I think I became Shorty again,' I groan, when will it stop? I lift my head and look at the mouth of the cave. I don't see anything around, so I can make a break for it. I run at the entrance, when a large Wolfos jumps in front of me, making me smack into its snout. I fall back and look up at him, will he attack me?

He snorts in my face. "You foolish child," his voice is somewhat like an echo and deep, I can hear authority. "You thought you could fight me before, are you as foolish now?" he circles me, I just keep my eyes locked with his. He stops and growls, scratching across my face with his sharp claws. "You will pay your Alpha respect!" he says, stepping on my back and pinning me. "You are part of this pack now, and you will not disobey me, you will do anything and everything I demand of you, and as you are new to the pack, don't expect any easy tasks just because you are a pup, you're lower than an Omega here," he takes his paw off me and orders me to stand. I do so quickly, knowing full well he can kill me with one good hit.

"Now get outside!" he steps over me and I follow to find a problem. We're on the edge of a ravine, and when I look over, I see an endless void. Note to self: stay the Din's Hell away from this. "Outsider!" the Alpha barks. Not wanting to get pushed off, I walk behind him as we go up a snow bank to see a small grove of strange trees. Instead of leaves, they're thin, like needles, and are still green, despite the cold atmosphere.

'Huh, that's odd,' I muse as I keep pace behind the Alpha. I'll just call him Al.

Al takes me a little further until we come to a small space in the trees, where the rest of the pack is. Pups, all bigger than me, dammit, play in the snow, on and around a female Wolfos that's lying down patiently, some of the pack are fighting, others are just napping. "Everyone," they all look at him, except the pups. "Outsider is now part of this pack," he picks me up and tosses me forward, making me land in the snow in the middle of them. "She is to be treated under an Omega until she can prove her worth, and I don't care that she's a pup, my rule is law," he growls, looking pointedly at a slightly grayer Wolfos, which rolls its brown eyes. "Understood?"

"Yes, Alpha," they all nod in unison.

He nods back. "The hunting party is leaving soon, get ready," he orders and some Wolfos move while others go back to their business.

I only walk two steps before the pups run at me and all tackle me down, yipping. "Why are you so small?" one asks as I try to get out from under them.

"Are you a runt?"

"Mama told me you were with a human! What did it look like?"

"Why are you not talking?"

'With all these questions, I couldn't get a chance even if I could,' I think as they continue to pester me.

"Alright, pups, that's enough," the female Wolfos comes over and they stop bouncing on and around me, but two of them are still on top of me. They move off and she lowers her head. "Come, Outsider," she growls at me. She picks me up in her mouth and walks off, coming to a large tree where the grey Wolfos is resting. "Elder," she grunts, tossing me to him. He wakes and lifts his head to look me in the eye then looks at the she-Wolfos.

"Thank you, Soft Wind," he speaks in a slow voice, but it's strong and impossible to misunderstand him. She bows her head and trots back to her pups, leaving her paw steps in the snow. I look up at the Wolfos when he sniffs my head, and I see his eyes shine with a kind of mischievous glint. "I thought there was something off about you, you do not smell like a pup," he smiles. "You smell like a human."

I blink, does he know? He barks, laughing as if he heard me. "You're eyes tell me all I need to know. Has anyone ever told you that they can tell what you're thinking through your eyes?" he asks. I tilt my head slightly, what's he goin' on about? "For some, my dear, eyes are like a mirror into someone's heart, they betray what the one is thinking sometimes, weather you want them to or not. Some can hide their emotions from their eyes, but it is not an easy task. And you seem unable to hide anything from others."

'No one's mentioned that before,' I think to myself. Well, maybe Ilia did once… yeah, I think when we were eight and seven, she told me my eyes were windows. I didn't know what she meant back then. This must be what she was saying.

"So it was a long time ago," he nods. "Now, I asked Soft Wind to bring you to me while to slept, as I need to talk to you, and explain what's going on to the only sane mind around here."

I nod, lying down as he yawns and shakes his head, his shaggy fur sending snow everywhere. "Now, as you can tell, everyone gets affected by the strange world that now consumes us. We turn into our opposite minds. But with that said, you wonder why my pack was hostile towards you. Well, my dear, my pack is the only non-hostile pack on this mountain. We do not fight outsiders, we stay away from them in a neutral peace as they travel, we have plenty of meat where we live. But now the Strange World has taken over the minds of the pack, and the very few Keese that leave people alone."

So that's it, the Twilight Smog _did_ corrupt this pack, but instead of making them peaceful, they've become hostile. But one question still stands, where are Zelda and Navi?

"You worry for your companions," he says, I give a small nod. "Well, dear, I happen to know where they are," he gets to his paws stiffly and turns, starting to walk to a small, ice-covered pond. I follow and he sits down, making me sit beside him. "Now, lift your nose in the air, and sniff," he says.

I do so, but I can't smell anything over the snow and wind. I sneeze. "Oh, we have a problem," he stands and picks me up, tossing me on his broad head. "Come, I know what can heal you."

We travel through the pin-leaved trees, the strange, dusky sun making the snow glisten as he walks further and further away from the pack's home. I look back to see if anyone's following us, out of habit, and see a shadow move behind a tree for only a split second. I'm about to alert the old Wolfos when he stops and tilts his head forward, making me fall into the snow.

He calmly turns and looks into the trees, speaking in his slow, loud voice. "Moondusk! Stop with your silly games and come out here!"

With a sigh, a strange creature walks out, it has green skin like a Bublin, but not as dark, a small red cap is on its head and it wears stitched together animal hide, it's head is wide with a square jaw and small, triangular ears are on top of its head, pointing up like arrow heads. It's body is square-ish and it has a small potbelly. It walks on four legs, but has an arm-like limb for a tail, which it uses to bounce over to us and land in the snow, making a wave of it cover me. I get my head out to see that it's roughly the size of a new-born Ordon Goat, so it's about three feet tall.

"Ya look like you've never seen a Gongrot before," it laughs, flicking my nose with its long fingers. The claws are long and an unnatural red I can't place.

"Moondusk, I need a potion, this child is going to get a cold if she doesn't drink some soon," the old Wolfos tells the…Gongrot? What the heck is _that_?

"Sure thing, Wrinkle Face," Moondusk says, walking around me and inspecting me. "I'll need three pinecones, seven pine needles, a pine needle branch, cleared of all its needles, and about two pounds of ice," he says, taking a small pouch off the belt around his waist with his tail/arm.

The old Wolfos nods and trots off saying over his shoulder, "Oh, and dear, I wouldn't worry about your friends. Cosmos spoke to me and told me that your yeti friend took them to his mansion after he recovered from his transformation."

I let out a sigh of relief, thank Nayru those two are save. I'd hate myself if anything bad happened.

"Heh, so," Moondusk smirks down at me, "You wonder what I am, do ya?"

'Kinda,' I nod.

"Well, sit back and kick up yer feet, kid," he sits down heavily and puts a clawed paw around me, dragging me into his side. "A Gongrot is a creature like me that lives deep underground. We are from a strange world, where creatures of all sorts live. Well, used to live, before the red robed guy came and ruined everything," he rolls his slit-pupil green eyes. "Anyway, we know all sorts of remedies for illnesses, and it's all made from natural ingredients, anyone can easily make 'em. But Gongrots are not all like me, because even when we aren't affected by anything abnormal, like this cloud that now surrounds us, we're not patient and can get rather…nasty around strangers," he grins. "There, now you know what a Gongrot is, now, go sit over there so you're out of my way," he pushes me towards a smaller tree.

Mind-grumbling, I sit down and start thinking of Navi and Zelda, hoping that they're okay. I'm not sure what happened, all I can get from when I was Shorty is screaming and growls, so I assume that they got attacked and where left in the snow. All I can do is wait and see. I still want to know why this Gongrot asked for those things.

The Elder Wolfos comes back, carrying a branch in his mouth with strange nuts on it and the pin-leaves. "Great!" Moondusk leaps over and snatches the branch out of Elder's mouth. "This will be just enough, now all I need is that two pounds of ice. Go help 'im!" he picks me up in his tail and puts me in front of Elder.

"Be patient, Moondusk, getting the ice will be easy," Elder chuckles and I follow him. "You'll have to excuse him, he's normally like that."

I just shrug it off and we come to a small frozen pond. 'How exactly will we know how much two pounds is?' I wonder.

"We'll estimate," Elder says, chuckling when I jump. I'm not used to knowing people can read some of my thoughts through my eyes, it's unnerving. Shaking my head, I start scratching at the ice, scraping some of the top layer off.

Once we have enough, I think, we head back to see Moondusk putting the ingredients into a small fire pit he has ready. "'Kay, got the ice?" he asks as Elder drags the branch we put the ice on. He lets the steam drop from his mouth and sits down as Moondusk takes the ice.

"You may want to stand back," Elder whispers to me and I back up, I'm not going to like this, am I?

Moondusk nods to himself and stands on his tail, tossing the needles and ice in. A small smoke cloud rises and the Gongrot smirks before flipping and landing with his tail in the fire. I tilt my head curiously, it's like he's immune to the flame, he's not even wincing from the heat as it flickers and crackles. 'Whoa, that's kinda cool. But what does this have to do with anything?' I think.

"Hey kid, get over here," he waves for me and I gulp a little. I won't like this. I can feel it. "C'mon, I don't got all day," he says impatiently. I just stay still, I'm not going. Obviously not going to take 'no' for an answer, Moondusk walks over, picks me up by the ruff, and puts me in front of the fire. "Now, eat this," he puts down a bowl of green/brown goo in front of me. Where'd he get the bowl? I think that's the least of my worries. I just stare at the goo. I'm not a picky eater (you can't afford to be in Ordon) but really? I don't want to eat this, it looks like something I would see a Moblin eating. "Eat it or suffer sickness later on," Moondusk pushes it to my paws.

I hope it tastes better than it looks. Reluctantly, I bend down and lick some of the goo, shuttering at the cold, strong taste of the tree needles and the weird nuts. Ugh, might as well eat it quickly. Trying not to gag, I force myself to eat the rest of the goo until only a bit is in the bowl. My mouth is so dry, and my stomach feels like a battle's goin' on inside it. I know for a fact the first thing I'm doing when I'm back to normal is having some milk and sleeping for the whole day.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Moondusk gives me a toothy grin. "Now, I'm off Wrinkle Face. And keep a look out, kid. The thing you're looking for isn't an object," he gives me a knowing wink before evaporating into thin air.

'The thing I'm looking for? Wonder what he could mean by that?' I think, confused.

"Well, you will need to rest for a bit before the potion takes effect. You should try to stay away from the others of the pack," Elder advises as we start to walk back. My mouth still tastes funny.

We come back to the snow patch and I see the she-Wolfos, Soft Wind, coming over. She growls down at me before looking Elder in the eye. "Elder, Alpha is going on the hunt now. He said you are to rest in the cave until he comes back, said something about the good of the pack," she says. I look at her, something's up, I can feel it.

"Thank you, Soft Wind," Elder nods and leaves. Soft Wind looks down at me and growls slightly.

"Okay, Outsider, go to the cave and stay out of the way, if you bother anyone you'll answer to me. Got it? Good, now get going," she cuffs me over the head and I run back to the cave. It'll probably be best to do as she says, I need to be alive to find Zelda and Navi.

As I stroll down the cave path, I hear barks and snarls coming from the cave. I slow down and peek around the edge to see the Alpha and Elder arguing about something. "Alpha, surly you must be regaining your right of mind? You have to be stronger than this strange world," Elder says.

"Right of mind? You bark as if I'm crazy," Al growls, pacing as he eyes the Elder, who is sitting calmly. "Elder, you told me that if I found a pup that smelled different, that I had to bring it to you. I did. What now?"

"The pup needs to stay here, she will help you and the pack remember who you are. You are not monsters, Alpha."

"You are positive Cosmos told you correct? Or are you not being truthful when you say you spoke to him?"

"Alpha, I have never lied to you before, and I never will. You're father and I were like brothers, and I have vowed to keep you safe in his place, to do that, I cannot lie."

"Don't bark about my father!" Al growls deeply. "He left for a stronger pack, that isn't our ways of life, Elder!"

"Your father was a good Wolfos, who died protecting this pack from our rivals. You know your part in this, you are the only one that can lead this pack down the right path. To do so, you will need all the help you can get."

"From a pup?"

"Every little thing helps. Alpha, you're becoming yourself again," Elder's eyes smile.

"It's strange, that meat you gave me seems to be helping me come back to mind," Alpha says, stopping his pacing and looking at Elder with a piercing gaze. "What did you put in it?"

"Me? I didn't put anything into your meat, Alpha. I am not sure why you are coming back to your right mind, but perhaps there was something the animal ate that was still in it when you ate it."

"If that is so, why is it that I am the only one who was affected?" Alpha snaps, walking to the mouth of the cave. I hide behind a rock as he stops and sits not a foot away from me. "You put something in that meat. And I don't like it. Elder, until this strange world is gone, I banish you from the pack."

"Alpha?" Elder snorts in surprise, I hear him get to his paws. "You can't be saying what I think you are?"

"I am. You are no longer part of this pack. Get out," Alpha turns and goes back into the cave, I look around the rock, what's going on? What's wrong with Al?

Elder pounces on Al, pinning him with surprising strength for an old Wolfos. "Alpha, you're turning back to your shadow self! Don't let it take over! You are stronger than this!"

Al snarls and kicks Elder off, sending him into a stalagmite with a yelp. Al lunges forward and sinks his teeth into Elder's hind leg, making the old Wolfos howl in pain. Elder bites back and gets Al on the snout, making him back up before slashing Elder down his side. Blood pours over the cave floor as Al tries to rip Elder apart, but I run in without thinking.

I jump onto Al and bite down on his ear, making him leave Elder and start tossing his head, trying to buck me off. No way am I letting him kill his pack mate. He runs around the cave as I scratch and bite him, when he rolls over and crushes me. I'm forced to let go and we pick ourselves up before turning to each other. He growls, his eyes glowing red. "You ungrateful little runt! I let you into the pack, and you disregard my choice!" he leaps forward and bites down at me, but I run under his legs and turn, clamping my teeth down on his tail.

He spins and smashes me into a wall. I grunt, but bite harder on his tail, not giving him the chance to knock me off. Obviously fed up, Al flings me up and bats me away with his paw as I come back down. I land beside Elder, a small cloud of dust rising as I hit the ground. I force myself to my paws and pant, my front left paw feels twisted or sprained.

Al walks up to me and pushes me away, making me roll into a small puddle. I lift my head shakily to see Al standing over Elder. "Leave."

Admitting defeat, Elder stiffly gets to his paws and limps out, giving one last, painful look at Al before walking out of the cave. I'm watching the cave mouth when paws step in front of my face. I look up and give Al stare for stare. "You will pay for your foolishness."

-Third POV-

Navi flies over the mountain, trying everything she can to find Link. Where could she be? The fairy can feel another storm threating to come, and if Link's injured she might be in trouble. She flies through the trees of a pine needle forest, making sure she's not being followed, when she sees an old Wolfos limping through. He's injured badly, as if he has been attacked.

"Back again, Wrinkle Face? Didn't take long, did it?" a bazar creature jumps down from a tree branch and lands in front of the Wolfos.

"Not now, Moondusk. I need your help. You know that herb you found and put in the meat of the Alpha's?"

"Of course, I don't have short-term memory loss, ya know."

"I need more. I'm afraid the Alpha will punish that pup for trying to protect me."

_Pup?_ Navi flies a little closer, but not so close that they'll notice her.

"That kid just likes trouble, don't she? Well, I can try to find more, but it ain't easy to get, Wrinkle Face," the creature known as Moondusk says.

"That pup will help the pack. She must be alive to do that."

"What can your Alpha do that's so bad?"

"He can do many things, Moondusk. I don't ask for much, just get that herb if you can."

"What do I get outta all this?"

"You get that freedom you so desire," Navi watches as Moondusk's face changes to shock and hope.

"Really? I can finally escape this prison?" he motions to the trees around him with his hand/tail.

"Yes. My pack can easily take down that beast that binds you here."

"…Deal, Wrinkle Face," Moondusk nods determinedly before jumping into the trees and traveling through them like a monkey.

"You can come out, you know. I still have my right of mind," the old Wolfos says clearly, basically stating that he knows Navi's there. She flies out and hovers a foot away, cautious.

"You mentioned a pup, what did she look like?"

"Well, she has black and silver fur, a strange mark on her forehead, she is quiet the runt-"

"Yep, that's Link," Navi says.

"Is that her name? Well, it's certainly an odd one."

"Is she okay?"

"I am not sure, but I don't think so. I had to leave because the Alpha exiled me. She tried protecting me, the reckless pup, and now I think she will pay dearly for it."

"Where is she?" Navi asks, her aura going black with worry.

"Our pack lives in that direction, you can't miss it. There's a hidden cave down a path and she should be there. You must hurry though, I'm not sure what damage the Alpha could have caused yet."

Without another word, Navi zips through the trees, dodging branches with ease and zapping anything that gets in her way. That includes an unlucky Keese that thought it would be a good idea to have a nice flight. Not much later, Navi finds the Wolfos pack and doesn't stop to look around, she just dashes down the path and into the cave to see a large Wolfos, the Alpha, throw Link into the wall, making her yelp.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Navi yells and shocks the Alpha with a strong electrical charge. He is sent flying into the opposite wall, his fur smoking. Navi flies to Link and shakes her head. "Link, are you okay?"

'I-I'll…be fine,' she replies, getting to her paws. Navi notices she's favoring her right front paw, and it's hard to miss the cut on her left leg. 'T-thanks.'

The Wolfos growls as he comes over. He snaps at Navi, but she doesn't even flinch as his jaws clamp down not even a centimetre away from her. "You stay away from her!" Navi zaps him with more electricity and makes him back off, she smiles when she sees slight fear in his eyes. Suddenly he runs out of the cave, making the two confused.

'Huh?' Link tilts her head.

"I don't know," Navi says slowly when they hear a growl. They turn around to see a Twilight Messenger materialize and shake itself, turning its disk-like face towards them.

'That explains it. C'mon, we need to get outta here,' Link backs up and keeps her eyes locked on the Messenger, which is watching her, waiting for any quick movement.

She almost makes it out when two Wolfos jump over her head and run at the Messenger, howling as they attack it. The Messenger easily shakes them off and starts to claw at them, but the Wolfos gracefully dodge. The rest of the pack runs in and I need to duck with my paws over my head so they don't step on me. I look up to see them all surrounding the Messenger. The Alpha female jumps on the Messenger's back, digging her claws into its skin so she can hold one while she bites the back of its neck, as she does this, the Beta male bites and snaps at the Messenger's ankles.

'Wow, so this is how a Wolfos pack fight,' Link muses, she's only ever seen a one or two Wolfos fight at a time. 'It's like they have silent signals. It's amazing.'

She's taken out of her thoughts when one Wolfos is kicked by the Messenger and sent her way. She jumps to the side, wincing when her left paw hits the ground too hard, and barely misses getting hit by the Wolfos. She looks at the fight to see the Messenger toss the Alpha female off and send her into another pack member. Al jumps on in the place of the Alpha female, but only gets to bite the neck once before he, too, is thrown off.

'Goddess dammit!' Link tries to run, but can only take two steps before remembering her paw. She swears quietly. 'I can't do anything, my paw's too injured. Navi, the Messenger will kill the entire pack!'

"I know, but what can we do? You're hurt, and I can't defeat that thing."

What they don't notice is a certain Gongrot hanging upside-down from the cave's entrance, grinning widely. "Sorry, am I late for the party?" he asks, swinging in and landing beside the two. He's holding Memory Unlock.

Link raises an eyebrow, how will that help them now? Moondusk smirks, "The Wolfos pack works better when their leader isn't insane." He runs towards the Alpha and holds him down, easily pinning him. "Open up," he stuffs the plant into the Alpha's mouth and Link watches as Alpha turns from the black furred, red eyed beast back into a grey furred Wolfos she's always seen around Hyrule Feld.

The Alpha's eyes blink a few times before turning back into a yellow-green and he looks around the cave, blinking dazedly. He lets out a short breath and sees Link, growing confused. He barks and Link translates, 'He's asking who I am and what's going on.'

Navi turns to the Alpha, "Her name's Link. You had lost your mind when the Twilight Smog overlapped the mountain and now that you've eaten the Memory Unlock, you're at your right mind now."

He barks again. 'He said that this had happened to him before, after he ate some meat givin to him by the Elder and remembered what kind of Wolfos he was. But it wasn't enough and only worked on half his mind.'

"That explains why he and the pack attacked us on the way to the ruins," Navi says thoughtfully.

The Alpha's ears perk up, and he looks at Navi and Link guiltily. The whimpers make the Alpha look towards the Messenger and he growls as he jumps to his paws, crouching low as he silently walks towards the beast, sneaking up behind it before biting its leg. The Messenger kicks the Alpha back, but he barks at the Beta male, who jumps onto the Messenger with three others of the pack, bringing it down.

Link just stares with wide eyes as Navi hides behind her head, not wanting to see the Wolfos pack rip the Messenger apart. 'Okay, that's just gruesome,' Link thinks as Moondusk laughs, watching the 'show' without any problem.

"Now this is a fight," he snickers as the pack climbs off it. The Alpha looks at all the Wolfos of his pack, who even in their corrupted forms know who he is.

He barks orders at them, and they all leave the cave, ignoring the three sitting by the entrance. He walks up to them with a kind look in his eyes. Smiling, he barks a few times to Link, who gives him a smile back. 'He says that he'd like us to guide him to Elder.'

"Well, c'mon. Wrinkle Face is waiting," Moondusk leaps out of the cave, followed by Navi, Link and the Alpha.

-Link's POV-

"I am sorry for the trouble I caused," Al says to me as we follow Moondusk. His voice is no longer an echo and is not as deep. "I can't believe I exiled my closest friend."

'We all make mistakes. But you weren't in control of yourself anyway,' I think to myself.

"So your name is Link? That's an odd name."

'Don't remind me,' I shake my head, out of all the people I've met, only a few have not commented on my name.

"Wrinkle Face is up ahead, he's resting by some pool. And I have to say, the water is way too perfect to be normal," Moondusk says from the trees.

Al blinks a few times. "Too per-" he cuts himself off, his ears and tail falling. "No. He can't be," he mutters in disbelief before running ahead of us. I run after him, forgetting my injured paw, and find him standing in front of Elder, who is sitting calmly in front of a glassy pond. "Elder?"

"Ah, Alpha, you've come to your senses," he says, looking over his shoulder to smile at him. "It's good to see you're back."

"Elder, I'm sorry. I wanted to stop myself, but the strange buzzing overtook my mind and made me mad!"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Alpha. I know what the problem was. Now, forget that. Isn't it a beautiful night?" Elder asks, motioning for Al and me to sit beside him.

"Yes, just like the night I became Alpha," Al nods, looking up at the night sky.

"Look at the water, Alpha," Elder says and Al looks down, and in his reflection is a Wolfos with his head held high, much higher than Al's is right now. "You look too, Link," he says. I look down and gasp, I see me as myself, no longer a puppy. "This pool shows the one who looks into it their true selves. Alpha, you see yourself looking like a leader, which you are, and Link, you see your true form. The outsides of us change, we don't physically stay the same forever, but the inside of us stay the same. Unless something tragic happens, you remain the same you always have been. I want you to remember that."

"Why are you saying this Elder?" Al asks, looking at him.

"Because it is a lesson I was taught by my father, the last Elder, before he passed through the gates of Cosmos' realm."

"You mean, you're-"

"Yes, Alpha, my time has come, and Cosmos, the Great Wolfos, is calling. When I leave, the things I taught you will allow you to become the new Elder. The very first Alpha to have this ability. Alpha, I want you to keep this gift save, and only pass on this knowledge to one who deserves it," Elder says, standing up stiffly and stepping towards the water. "And Link, the thing you're looking for is no solid object, it surrounds us, and is part of what makes us living creatures," his words confuse me, but I nod.

Head held high, tail wagging slightly, and ears relaxed, Elder walks forward and steps _onto_ the water, not into it. My eyes widen as he walks across the glassy surface, which isn't even rippling as he continues on. When he reaches the middle of the strange pond, a misty shape appears, and a ghostly white Wolfos materializes in front of Elder. Elder nods to the misty Wolfos, which nods back before turning and opening an equally misty gate. Not even looking back, the two Wolfos walk through with a bright light that blinds me and Al, making us close our eyes. When we open our eyes again, we find the Elder gone.

We just sit as the wind blows softly. What is this pond?

"He was a good Wolfos, he never strayed from who he truly was," Al says. "I am proud to be the Elder in his stead. This water is said to be where the first Wolfos came from. All Wolfos are decedents of those two Wolfos, and my pack is the closest related to them. In honour of our ancestors, we come here when we grow old and let Cosmos, the first male Wolfos, take us to the Goddesses Realm."

'Wow,' is all I can think as I stare at the water.

"Link?" Navi flies over and looks around. "Where's the Elder?"

'He's gone,' I think. Understanding, Navi bobs up and down before turning to Al.

"Will your pack be okay?"

Al nods as he gets to his paws. "We will be fine. Now that I have my senses back, I can figure out where we can live until the-Twilight Smog did you call it?- is gone."

I translate for Navi and Moondusk leans on the trunk of a tree. "So, ya leavin', kid? Well, peace to ya. I've got a little thing I need to do. It's called freeing myself of this mountain," he laughs loudly and runs through the trees, whooping and hollering into the night.

"He's very strange," Navi muses out loud.

'Yeah, but he's very helpful,' I agree. I look at Al and bow my head in goodbye before I head out. It's time to go to the ruins.

"Save journeys! And thank you for your help!" Al howls and I look back, smiling before letting out a short howl and limp away.

-Later-

'Finally!' I think when we come to the doors of the Snowpeak Ruins. Now I can see if the others are okay. I walk through the open doors and look around, still ruins, still filled with ice. This place hasn't changed in any way inside, but everything has changed outside. Careful not to slip too much, I use my claws to walks over the icy floor in front of me and go to the double doors. 'So, how was Zelly when you last saw her?'

"She was awake when I left, and other than being tired she was fine."

'Good,' I sigh.

I poke my head into the living room to find the fire burning, but no one's here. 'Didn't Yeto say something about the bedroom being untouched by the Smog?'

"Yes, and it actually worked. I never knew yetis could do that."

Walking through the ruins, I can't help but feel like a cold shadow is following me, but when I look behind me, I don't see anything. But seeing and feeling are different things. My eyes fall to the corner and I see a small black shape move slightly, and when I do the shape jumps from the floor and charges at me. I roll out of the way but it moves sharply and slams into my side, making me roll across the floor until I'm stopped by the wall. 'Ouch,' I think, getting to my paws before dodging the shadow. It rams into the wall and I use this distraction to run from the room, making sure I'm going in the right direction to the bedroom. Thankfully I find myself on the spiral walkway to the room and run up it as fast as I can, the shadow still after me.

I make it to the door and claw at it as loud as I can, turning my head over my shoulder to see the shadow coming closer. 'Open up!' I mind-yell and push on the door with my paws, as if doing just that will open it. To my surprise, it opens and I fall forward, just out of reach before the shadow can grab my tail.

"You make interesting entrances," I look up at Zelda and roll my eyes.

'Tell me about it. You okay?' I ask as she closes the door, Yeto and Yeta aren't around.

"I'm fine. I just need to rest some more," she says, sitting on a spare bed. "What about you?"

I explain what happened after I woke up in the cave, how Moondusk helped, what happened to the Elder, everything. '…And Moondusk said he was called a Gongrot,' I finish. 'I guess he's another Mythical Monster like the gryphons. So how are Yeto and Yeta?'

"Yeta was safe in here, and Yeto gave her some of the Memory Unlock, so they're out now, probably catching fish from Zora's Domain. It seems that the Unlock keeps you sane for a long time, so we can leave in the morning, now that we know what we're up against."

'Okay. Hey, I just remembered, both Moondusk and the Elder said that the thing I'm looking for isn't a solid thing. Any clue what that means?'

Zelda thinks about if for a few seconds. "I have an idea. I'll ask Yeto and Yeta when they get back."

'Ask them what?' I ask.

She's about to say when the door opens and Yeta walks in. I go under the bed, not taking the risk of being stepped on, and look out as the she-yeti starts chatting with Zelda. "Husband is making soup, uh," she says, her voice soft and calm as usual. "It should be ready soon, uh."

"Thank you, Yeta. I appreciate your hospitality," Zelda says.

'You use big words too much,' I think.

"You're welcome, uh."

I look around when a shiver goes down my spine. My head snaps to the door and I see the shadow twitching as I feel its non-existent eyes looking at me, it's just waiting, it seems. But for what? Does Zelda sense it? Or is the last of my sanity gone?

Psh, didn't have a lot of sanity to begin with anyway.

The shadow sneaks around the edge of the room before going up the wall. It jumps to a windowsill and starts stretching, forming into something else. I growl when I see a certain tyrant standing there. 'Zant,' I come out as Zelda stands, telling Yeta to leave the room. The she-yeti complies and makes it out just before the door is frozen shut.

"You just _had_ to come here, didn't you?" Zant asks, irritated. "You couldn't leave other's matters alone."

"Not if it's a risk to every person in Hyrule," Zelda says, taking out her bow. "I won't let you hurt my people, Zant."

"How…revolting. You're human emotions make me sick. Compassion? Willing to fight knowing you'll lose? Humans are all foolish, following a leader like blind dogs. Not knowing what to do when that leader can't help them. You're all useless."

'You act as if Twili don't have emotions,' I think.

"We do, but we don't feel them nearly as strongly humans. There are some rare exceptions, like that worthless princess," I growl, no one talks about my friends like that! "But other than that, Twili can hide their emotions."

"Why is this so important?" Navi asks. "You act as if you're going somewhere with this."

"You're voice annoys me," he states, making Navi turn red. "But none of this matters now. This is the last time we will meet again."

'And how many times have you said that to me?' I ask, smirking.

He doesn't say anything, he just opens a portal on the wall underneath him. "Goodbye," he says before vanishing.

The room becomes quiet, and we wait with baited breath as the portal ripples slightly, like water. Then we hear the sound of heavy footsteps, and the room shakes as a giant foot steps out of the red and black portal, followed soon after by a creature with a single eye in the middle of its fat head. It has ugly orange skin, a brown loincloth, and carries a heavy, wooden club over its shoulder. The pale grey eye of the creature locks on us and it snorts, grinning with its thin mouth.

'What the heck is that thing?' I ask. 'It's uglier than a Moblin.'

It roars and hits the ground with its club, making an indent in the floor as it shakes the room. Lifting the club back up, it starts walking at us, and the usual voice speaks **"King of the Cyclops, Typhoon."**

Typhoon swings his club at us and we barely dodge the blow, jumping to different sides. I run around the back of him and bite his ankle, but it's like I tried to bite a rock. I stumble back and clench my mouth shut, my teeth aching. 'Okay, don't bite the thing,' I tell myself, shaking my head as Zelda shoots Typhoon in the back of the head, but the arrow bounces off his thick skin. How can we defeat him? Obviously his weak point's his eye (like every other freakin' monster), but he'll most likely be expecting us to hit his eye, with the way his eye is only half open, he'll just close it and it will be fine. So where's his weak point?

I look around the room, is there anything we can use? My eyes travel up the wall until I look up at the chandelier. I got it. Smirking, I'm about to tell the other two when Typhoon kicks me aside, making me crash into the bed post. 'Ow…' I moan as I hit the ground.

I blink a few times to clear my vision to see Zelda trying to hit the chandelier, apparently she saw it when I did, but Typhoon keeps moving in the way and blocks the arrows, as if he knows the chandelier will hurt him. I force myself to my paws and bark at Typhoon, making him look at me. 'Nananananana!' I stand on my front paws and look at him through them, distracting him. 'Come and get me, fatso,' I think as I run between his legs. He roars and slams his club down behind him, almost hitting me, but I roll out of the way before it crushes me. He starts running after me and I see Zelda aim at the chandelier again out of the corner of my eye and lure the Cyclops under the chandelier, making sure he won't have time to run when he realizes what we're doing. I keep jumping out of the way of his club when I hear a _chink_ and rattling. Smirking, I back flip from his last swing and the chandelier falls on top of him, making him fall to the ground as pieces of it fly everywhere.

While he's down, I jump on top of him and grab a part of the broken glass. I force his eye open and stab down, making him roar loudly and send me flying backwards. Luckily I land on the covers of the bed this time, and I bounce a bit as he continues to roar, trying to see again as he stumbles to his feet. Zelda grabs the bed sheet and I jump off it as she throws it around Typhoon's legs, making him fall over and into the portal, which has been open the entire time, and the roar of the Cyclops echoes through the room long after the portal closes.

The door defrosts and opens, letting Yeto and Yeta in. "You okay?" Yeto asks.

"Yes, we're fine."

'No kidding, that guy was surprisingly easy to beat.'

"Leg good? Uh," Yeta asks.

"It's good as new. Thank you both. We will just stay tonight and leave in the morning."

-The next morning-

"Thank you for helping us," Zelda says as we stand at the door to leave the ruins.

"You are welcome, uh," Yeta smiles.

"I wanted to ask you two something. Do you know what the Love of Nayru is?"

The two yetis smile. "Love of Nayru, uh, is just that, love. To be blessed with Love of Nayru, you must be with one you care for most, uh."

I blink a few times. 'Are you kidding me?! All I had to do was stay with someone I care about?! So all that reading was pointless?!'

Zelda ignores me and bows politely, "Thank you. You've really helped us."

"Goodbye, uh."

Saying our final goodbyes, we leave the ruins and head up the slope. It's always harder going up than going down, but we manage to make it to the peak of the mountain and start heading down. As we come out of the tunnel and look down at the frozen lake, I hear howls and look up to see the pack standing on an outcropping. I smile a bit and we leave the Twilight Smog, the world is once again bright and the sun is blinding yellow again.

I can't believe our luck, not only do we know how to deal with the Smog, but now we know how to get the Love of Nayru. Looks like I won't be a pup for much longer.

Gery: This wasn't my favorite chapter, I'll admit, but whatever. If you're wondering, yes, a Gongrot is a creature I made up…yeah, I have a really weird imagination. Oh well! Hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. See ya!


	15. Chapter 13

To Lady Fai: Thanks, I've wanted to make my own mythical monster for a while now, and now I have:) Now, not the kissy kissy of true love, I have a plan of how she gets back to normal though;) Thanks again, and I never thought about who would greet Link in death. Hum…hehe, I just imagined Din and the Great Wolfos fighting about who would take her.

To Mihang: I know right? School can get annoying, but it comes first. Thank you. Okay, take your time. Nothing's rushed here. Love ya too! :D

Gery: *Walks in from door, tosses bag on bed, takes out laptop, gets a snack and sits down, opening laptop and going into Fanfiction, goes to manage stories and clicks Silent Courage reviews, eyes go wide* Guys! Come see this! *Others walk in*

Nura and Adam: What is it?

Gery: Guess what! We have over fifty reviews!

Nura: Really?

Gery: Yeah!

Alex: That's a surprise, I didn't think you'd get any

Gery: *Ignores Alex* Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive of this! I gotta say, I was scared when I posted my first chapter, I didn't think so many people would like this. You've all helped me so much! And thanks to everyone else for sticking with me! Virtual cookies for everyone!

Adam: You haven't done that for a while

Gery: I know. I don't own anything you recognize, only the plot and OCs. Enjoy!

Is it weird that I'm listening to Nickelback's _Gotta be Somebody_ while typing this?

Chapter 13: The Effects of Magic

Castle sweet castle. It's nice that it didn't take too long to get back, the sooner I become human again, the better. I think I might miss Shorty, but not as much as I have missed been Hylian. I jump out of the dammed saddlebag (I won't miss _that_), and shake my fur as Zelda dismounts. 'So, what's the plan?' I ask.

"I need to tell the guard captain about the Smog, while I do that, you should go tell Midna to start getting the potion ready," Zelda says.

'Okay, see you later,' I run off, my leg fully healed thanks to some normal potion. I ignore the few people who I pass, and I can't help but smirk when a maid drops some clothes. I finally find Midna in a small potion room and trot over to her, looking at the cauldron which is bubbling red and green. 'Is that what I'm taking?' I ask.

"Once we get the last thing, yeah," Midna nods, putting in a bit more of the Fire of Din.

'Well, I think we've figured out what it is. I'm not sure on the details, but I think I'll need to be around someone I care about,' I explain.

"Are you kidding? Well we wasted a lot of time," Midna rolls her eyes.

'That's what I thought.'

"Anyway, go wander around. Now that I know about the Love of Nayru, I can put the finishing touches on the potion. It should be dark by the time it's finished."

''Kay,' I leave and head to my room, I'd like to rest on my bed. I pass a study to see Pretty Boy coming out of it. Not wanting him to see me, I hide behind a low-hanging tapestry and peek out from the bottom of it. He looks around suspiciously, making me curious, before going down the right corridor, to the stables. Something's not right. Not trusting him, I push at the door and manage to open it enough for me to get through. It closes behind me with a soft click and I look around the room. Nothing but a desk, some chairs and bookshelves.

I go over to the desk and open the bottom drawer, since it's the only one I can reach, but as I shuffle through the papers, I don't find anything interesting. With a sigh, I close the drawer when I hear the door handle turn. Not wanting to be caught, I run under one of the chairs and hide as two people come in, Pretty Boy being one of them. "Lock the door, I don't want any intruders here," Pretty Boy orders and the person with him locks the door.

"So, is everything ready yet? I don't want my brother escaping," a shrilly voice asks. It sounds familiar...

"No. Our plans are not fully complete. We need a bit more time. Luckily no one is getting in the way, so we don't have to eliminate anyone for just knowing."

"Whatever. But when do I get to kill him? I want my revenge for defeating me."

"Do you think I don't? Since I saw him I've wanted to kill him. But I had to hold myself back. He's the prefect pawn for this game."

"Why's that?" the shrilly voice asks as the owner of the voice sits on the chair I'm hiding under.

"While he's off doing those chores, we have time to work on our plans, and the more time he wastes, the more we become ready."

Who are they talking about? Oh, what's that matter? I need to warn Zelda about him. I knew we couldn't trust Pretty Boy. I look at the door, I need to get out and warn Zelda before it's too late. I look out from the back of the chair, maybe I can make a break for the door without them noticing me. I silently run for it and make it to the door when I remember: they locked it.

"Well well, what have we here?" I curse when I'm picked up roughly by Pretty Boy, I narrow my eyes so he won't recognize me. "When did this mutt get in here?"

"Can I eat it?" the shrilly voice asks, turning on the chair. I can't see her face though, since Pretty Boy's in the way.

"No. It's just a dog, it's nothing important," Pretty Boy tosses me out, giving me one last glare before shutting the door. He knows. I know it. Why didn't he do anything? Does he not think I'm a threat? His fault then.

But five minutes later, I can't seem to remember anything after going into the study. What happened? Did I hit my head? I shake my head to clear it, it probably doesn't matter, it won't affect anyone.

I enter my room and jump onto my bed, stretching out and lying down with a yawn. Finally, I get to sleep in a normal bed. This is my last day as a pup, and I find it funny that I'm getting more and more hyper at the thought of it. I won't be treated like I'm worthless! I'll be able to fight for myself again! And I'll be able to use my thumbs! The joys of little things.

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but when I wake up I see that the sun is starting to set. The potion might be done soon, so I should start heading down. I push the door to get out and leave it slightly open so I can get back in, like I did last time, and run through the halls, being careful not to be spotted by a servant or maid or a certain pretty boy. The last of which I will bite his leg if he tries anything funny.

Luckily I make it to the potion room with any mishap to see Midna sitting back in a chair, looking dead tired. How long's she been working on the potion? Zelda's steering the potion now and spots me come in. "There you are. I was just about to send Navi for you."

"Well, I hope you're happy. This potion took two days to make, you know," Midna says, very irritated.

'I don't even care if it tastes like frog skin, I'll just be happy to be human again,' I think.

"Good thing you said frog skin, because that's what it smells like," Midna smirks and I roll my eyes. Of course.

"Now, after you drink the potion, you need to stay with a person who you care about the most for a full night without your eyes falling on another person," Zelda says.

'Who am I gunna stay with then?' I ask.

"Well figure it out later, the potion will only be effective for a few minutes," Midna says, getting up and scooping the potion into a bowl. "When you drink it, keep your eyes closed until we figure out who you're going to stay with."

'Okay,' I nod and she puts it down. I drink all I can, ignoring the frog skin taste, and right as I finish it, my mind goes bla-

-Sheik's POV-

I walk through the castle and go down to the potion rooms, Midna said that they had found out about the Love of Nayru, and I can't believe the time we wasted. I open the door to the potion room to see Link run at me, her pupils enlarged. You've got to be kidding me. "Did she not drink the potion yet?" I ask.

"She just finished. You'll need to take her somewhere there won't be anyone," Zelda says as Midna goes into her shadow.

"Why's that?" I raise an eyebrow as Shorty paws at my leg, whining.

"She saw you first, she'll need to stay with you for the rest of the night, since she can't look at anyone else now, or the potion won't work."

"How does that make sense?"

"Easy, it doesn't," Midna says.

"I suggest going to the courtyard that you can see from her room, no one really goes there," Zelda tells me.

"Why do I always end up with Link when she becomes Shorty?" I roll my eyes.

"Because it's funny, she likes you the most anyway," Midna laughs as Shorty scratches at the door.

I just sigh, I had to open the door at that time. Now I'm stuck babysitting Shorty. Again. For the third, and hopefully final, time. "Fine, see you in the morning," I say, opening the door and letting Shorty out. This is going to be another long night, isn't it?

Shorty runs around the halls as we head to the courtyard. I keep a close eye on her as she sniffs at the tapestries, bats at the suits of armour, and growls at a study that I know Edward's using. Looks like Shorty hates him too. "Come on," I pat my leg and she barks before running over, looking up at me with a smile. "Why do you always come to me?" I ask her as if she was still Link, bending down to scratch behind her ears, she leans into my hand. "Do you like me that much?"

I'm replied with a bark and her jumping up to lick my face. I push her down and wipe my face, she just pants away. I wonder what Link thinks when she gets her right of mind back. Can she remember anything? I never asked her that. I shake my head and we start walking again when I see a shadow down the corridor. Oh great, I need to distract Shorty so she doesn't run and ruin the only chance to change Link back. "Come here," I lead her into a separate room and hold her to the ground gently to keep her in place. She licks my hand as the footsteps of the person come and fade from the corridor. I open the door a bit to find it empty once again and leave, closing the door after Shorty.

I pick up the pace and jog to the courtyard, Shorty keeping a few paces behind me, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. We enter the courtyard and the second Shorty comes in, she runs to the single tree in the middle. The leaves are starting to change colour and fall off of it, signalling that winter is around the corner. Shorty runs into a small pile of the leaves and rolls in it, barking joyfully as she kicks up leaves. I go over to the tree and lean back on it, closing my eyes when I hear a whine. Oh Goddesses, what now? I open my eyes to see Shorty sitting beside me, looking at me in the same way she did the first time this happened. She wants to play again.

I look around to find a stick and pick it up, throwing it across the courtyard. Tail wagging, Shorty runs after it, a small grey blur in the night. She gets the stick and runs back, putting it down and stretching her front paws out, her rear up as she wags her tail, waiting for me to throw it again. I sigh, why does she have to be cute? I throw the stick for what seems like hours, but it turns out I've only thrown it for twenty minutes when Shorty grows board of this game. She then decides that it will be hilariously fun to steal my boot. Now, with one bare foot, I run after her through the yard. I see the smirk in her eyes even in this state as she runs through the flowers and mud.

After _finally_ getting my boot back, I glare at the grinning pup as she looks at me putting the boot back on. She knows I'm ticked, and she's laughing on the inside. "You just love putting my patience to the limit, don't you?" I ask. In response, she nudges her head into my side, grabbing the tunic I'm wearing in her teeth and pulling back, playfully growling. "I'm taking that as a 'yes'," I tell her. She just puts her paw on my leg and lifts herself up to sniff my face. "Yeah yeah yeah, you know others find you cute. I'm not one of them."

Wanting to prove me wrong, Shorty flips onto her back and puts her head on my leg, looking at me with her ears flat, tail wagging and her tongue sticking out goofily. I sigh and scratch behind her ears, making her push into my hand again. I look up at the moon and I blink in disbelief. It's already midnight? When did that happen? I look down at Shorty when I feel her curl into my side and she puts her snout in her paws, snuggling into me. "Just a little longer," I say, feeling drowsy. Yawning, I put an arm around Shorty and lean my head back on the tree, quickly dozing off.

-The next morning-

I wake up when the sun hits my face and I squint my eyes open to see the courtyard, morning dew on the grass and leaves. I'm surprised I didn't get cold last night. I look down when I feel something shift and my eyes widen. Link's back to normal. She's gripping my tunic with her legs brought up to her stomach and her head's turned into my chest. I feel a small blush rise on my cheeks when she snuggles her head in a bit more, letting out a small snore.

I can't help but snort at that. Okay, that's kind of cute, I'll admit that. Chuckling quietly, I brush a bit of her hair back and my hand brushes her ear, making it twitch and she turns her head away, scrunching her face. Smirking in amusement, I rub her ear and she lets out a content sigh, smiling in her sleep. It's now that a notice something…awkward.

Very awkward.

My blush deepens considerably when I realize she's naked. I turn my head away quickly, staring at anything but her. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. This is going to be bad when she wakes up. Not wanting to be seen by _anyone_, I move so I can take off my tunic and I stare at her head as I get it over her and get her arms through the sleeves. This is one of those times that I'm happy she's so tiny.

Not even fazed by me moving her, Link just keeps snoring quietly as my eyes fall on the small pond a few feet away and I absentmindedly rub her head gently.

-Link's POV-

I look around the flowery plane, human once again, when I feel a tugging sensation, like something's pulling me forward. It makes my feet skid over the dirt as it brings me forward and suddenly stops when I smack into someone. I fall back and sit up on my hands, shaking my head. Looking up, my jaw drops when I see a large wolf sitting there, just smiling at me. The tugging gives one last, strong pull before a misty spirit of some sort comes out of my body.

With a nod, the wolf turns and enters a misty door and the spirit, which circles around me a bit, follows soon after. I smile and wave when I feel something pull me back now. I then start falling and just before I hit something solid, I wake up.

I blink my eyes open, the world is fuzzy and my head's pounding annoyingly. What's going on? Once my vision is clear, I find that I'm in the courtyard, and it takes a few seconds to regain my thoughts on what happened. I drank the potion when I turned into Shorty, and all I remember hearing is "cute" for some reason.

Wait, I drank the potion. Does that mean…? I slowly lift my arm in front of my face and smile when I see my hand and fingers. I flex my hands and feel the smile as I let my head fall the pillow I'm using. Wait, since when did pillows breathe? Tensing slightly, I look up and feel my face become red when I see Sheik, his arm is around me and patting down the back of my head, and he's just staring off into space. He's not wearing his shawl for once, and his hair's tied back. I'm snuggled into him, and it's a lot weirder when I'm human.

Feeling my head move, Sheik looks down and smirks, are his cheeks red? Or am I imagining…?

"Morning," he simply says. "How are you, Shorty?"

'Ugh,' I reply, not caring when I put my head back down him. 'I feel sick.'

"Why's that?"

'I dunno, my stomach's all tossy-turny,' I think, wrapping my arms around my stomach, noticing the tunic I'm wearing. 'This isn't mine.'

"Uh…no, it isn't. It's…mine," I look at Sheik, he's blushing the same colour as his eyes. That's kinda funny. "You were cold as a pup, so I put it on you and just rearranged it when I woke up to find you Hylian again."

'Oh, okay,' I smile. 'Thanks.'

"Yeah," he smiles back, a bit nervously for some reason, and shifts himself so he's sitting up, taking me with him. "So, happy to be human again?"

I nod, liking the warmth, when I feel my face fall. My jaw slacks and my stomach starts to rumble, making me put a hand on it as if it will help. "Link? Are you alright-" I interrupt by puking in the grass beside us. I think all that magic's catching up on me. I heave as I feel a hand making circles on my back, my face becomes hot and sweaty and I feel exhausted. Sheik moves and I find myself being picked up bridle-style by the Sheikah. I hate magic.

-Sheik's POV…again-

I practically sprint through the castle, ignoring the servants as they pass. Now that I think about it, Link did look pale when she woke up. And this might be way. By what caused her to get so sick? I shake my head, that doesn't matter right now, I need to get Link to Zelda.

"Zelda, we have a problem," I tell her, not bothering to knock as I come into her study. She looks up from the papers she's working on and ditches them, rushing over.

"Put her on the bed, I think I know what's wrong," she orders and I do as she says, gently putting Link on the bed as she holds her stomach and shivers, her eyes tightly closed in pain.

"What's happening?" I ask as Zelda pulls up a chair and wipes Link's forehead.

"She absorbed too much magic."

I look at Link, who's shivering a lot more violently. Her entire face is red and she looks like she struggling to hold herself still as Zelda comforts her. "This is what happens when she can't take anymore magic? She gets sick?"

"Yes, it happened after she fought Ganon. But it wasn't nearly as bad. Luckily all she needs to do is keep hydrated and have rest. That should cure her in at least two days."

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "I'm going to get some water and a change of clothes, can you watch over her?" Zelda asks, standing up.

Nodding I take the chair as she leaves, looking at Link's red face. "You weren't kidding when you said you felt sick," I mutter, wiping her forehead. She coughs in reply and turns her head, burying it into the pillow. "You have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met."

If she wasn't so sick, I know she'd be 'saying' something sarcastic.

Zelda quickly comes back with spare clothes and I step outside as she changes Link. I'd rather not have that awkward moment again. It doesn't take long, and I come in, leaning on the bedpost. "So what now?" I ask as Zelda forces Link to drink some potion.

"Now we just need to let her rest," Zelda says. "The potion I gave her well help her sleep."

I nod and get up to leave with Zelda when a moan makes me stop. I look over my shoulder at Link, who's now under the covers with a wet cloth on her head. "Actually, you go. I think I'll stay here in case she needs anything," I say, walking back and sitting on the chair.

"Alright," I swear I hear a smile in her voice, but when I look up she closes the door. Did I catch a knowing look in her eye? Whatever.

I just sit and watch over Link, worried for her sake. It's rare that I've seen someone so…ill. Last time I knew someone who was this sick, they…I shake my head. You don't have to worry, Sheik, she won't end up like him. Link turns over towards me and hugs herself in her sleep, it's hard to believe she's been through so much. When she's awake, she has that proud, fierce look to her that any warrior has, but when she sleeps, she's like an innocent child, oblivious to everything around her. Her face is soft and I can now see the true Link behind the stoic mask. Her experiences must haunt her, but she doesn't show it.

Why is it always the innocent that suffer? I can tell by the little time I've met Link that she doesn't like her fame. She doesn't like being the hero. I see the angry, sad and annoyed look in her eyes whenever someone calls her 'hero'. I guess that going from a small village that no one really knows about to a big city where everyone knows you can be a huge shock. I wonder how she coped with learning that she was the next hero. Did she know what her Triforce meant when she was younger? Or did she just think it was a birthmark?

Maybe I should ask her, I see the way she acts around Midna and Zelda, she's open, she doesn't hide at all, but when it's just me, it seems like she backs up into herself to try and hide. Honestly, that kind of hurts me. She didn't trust me when we first met, which is smart, then she started trusting me when she told me her fear, and now it's like she doesn't trust me anymore.

That's why you shouldn't have used so much magic around her, the cold voice in the back of my head says. You had her trust, but you broke it when you summoned magic around her constantly.

Shut up! I know what I did was wrong, but does she really hate me for that?

She doesn't hate you, she just doesn't trust you.

I shake my head harshly. I am _not_ getting into an argument with myself again. Even if it's a bit too late now. A groan takes me out of my thoughts and my eyes fall on Link again. Why do you make me so confused? It's like you try to make me feel these things, even with the small stuff you do.

She starts turning in her sleep, and I recognize the movements from the nightmare she had in the Fire Temple. Not thinking, I reach out and grab her hand and, to my surprise, she settles down, as if I can protect her. I sigh and turn my head away. I can't protect anybody.

"I see that she calmed down," I snap my attention to the door, where a man is standing with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face. "Sometimes it's hard to get her out of the nightmare state while she's still sleeping."

I take my hand away, wishing I had put my shawl back on and the room wasn't so bright. The man just chuckles as he walks over. "I'm Rusl, my wife Uli and I raised Link," he says. "I've helped comfort her for only a few nightmares. One in which I've lived myself. What's your name, lad?"

Trying to remember when someone last called me 'lad', I reply. "My name's Sheik. I only met Link about two-three weeks ago."

"You've obviously grown close in those few weeks."

And here comes the heat. "Oh, uh, no, not really. We're just friends."

He doesn't say anything, he just smiles. "So, judging by your eyes, assume you're a Sheikah?"

"Yes. How did you know?" I ask, confused at the subject change.

"I've heard a bit about your people. You live deep in the desert, right?"

"Yes. It's not every day I meet someone who knows about us."

He just nods and smiles. "So, how is Link?"

"I'm not exactly sure. She's pretty sick though. Zelda said she'll have to rest for a few days," I say.

Rusl runs his hand over her ear and she moves her head away as it twitches. I wonder why she does that when you touch her ear. Rusl smiles, seeming to read my mind. "I found this out when she was five. Hylian ears are a little bit like a cat's, they twitch at loud noises and when someone touches them. She loved me scratching her ears when she was a kid. The last few years she's thought she's too old for it anymore, but when she's sick it comforts her."

"She's so weird," I can't help but say. Rusl laughs.

"And she's proud of it," he shakes his head.

"How did she deal with becoming the hero?" I ask.

Rusl sighs. "She was so confused when she came back to Ordon, when I saw her wearing her old clothes for the first time in months, I could tell they didn't feel right. They didn't even look right on her anymore. She would sit in the goat pasture all day with Epona, she was slow to responding to anyone, and she looked even more out of place then she did growing up. It was maybe two weeks after everything returned to normal that I realized, nothing could ever be normal again. I knew Link would never be the same, she would never fit in Ordon again, and she looked as if everything she knew was stripped of her. I suggested that she went and lived in Hyrule Castle, knowing Zelda would welcome her, but she was reluctant. It was so strange seeing her leave, she stood taller than she ever did, she had that warrior look to her, and she didn't hide her face nearly as much."

"That whole experience really changed her, didn't it?" I look at her face, she still looks innocent when she's asleep.

"Yes, it did. It would change anyone. She went through so much in just a few months that many people couldn't do in years. People praise her for saving the land, but they don't realize what she went through to save it. Even I don't know the full story. Sheik, I can see that you care about her, so I want to ask you a request."

"Alright," I say, uncertain.

"Can you protect Link?" I blink, why would he ask this? "She's not strong enough to take everything on alone. She might try to, but that's just her being stubborn. There will come times when the stress of everything she does piles up and breaks through, and she'll need someone to be with, to just be with her and help her. Can I trust you with doing that?"

Can he? I wonder, looking at my hands. Why would he trust me? He doesn't know me. But maybe it's because he sees that Link trusts me, which I find hard to believe. This man, the man who raised Link, trusts me with keeping her safe, and protecting her. How can I? I can't protect anyone, all I do is bring danger to others.

Oh? Then why do you want to say yes? the blasted voice whispers.

I sigh deeply, open my mouth to say no, and glance at Link. "Yes," I nod, looking at Rusl, who's smiling.

"Thank you," he says and gets up. "You're a good lad, Sheik." And with that, he leaves.

Stupid! I hadn't meant to say yes! I wanted to say no! What made me say yes? I groan, rubbing my hands over my face. "What's wrong with me? She doesn't know me or my past, I don't know her or her past! Why do I feel like this?" I curse loudly, getting up from the chair to pace, my shadow following me as the sun streams in from the window. I look out the window to see wind blowing the leaves across the grass and a clear blue sky. My entire lift's a mess at the moment, I don't need any more trouble.

"Uhh," I cringe a bit at the moan, still kicking myself for using magic. I thought bringing a shield would protect her, but apparently not. It just made things worse. I sit down and close my eyes, no matter who I try to protect, they always seem to suffer…

When light flashes behind my eyelids, I open my eyes to find that it's night, and there's a storm outside. The rain pelts on the window and the lightning flashes, making me wince at the sudden light that brightens up the room. I get up from the chair and close the curtains, lighting a candle with a simple fire spell. I rub my eyes as I sit down again, have I really been asleep this whole time? I've never slept that long in my life. Letting my hands drop to the chair's arms, I look up at the bed, seeing Link had pulled the covers over her head in her sleep, but she pulled them a little hard, her feet are sticking out of the bottom of them. I chuckle at that, she never fails to amuse me. That's probably why people seem to like her, she's just fun to be around.

I get up and gently pull the covers back down, but she pulls them back up. Giving up after five times, I sit on the edge of the bed and feel her forehead. The cloth is dried and she's still hot. I take a container and tilt her head back, tipping the container up and making her drink the water. After that, I take the cloth off and go to the washroom, dunking it in the water-filled sink before wringing it out and going back in, putting it on her forehead again to cool her down. I brush her ear again, and she sighs like before, a smile forming on her face in her sleep. I run my hand down her face and let it rest on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze to tell her everything's alright.

Sitting back down again, my mind drifts off. I don't think of anything in particular, but I just sort of fall into a slight daze as I rest my head on my hand, which is propped up on the chair by my elbow. I just realized, I haven't eaten in a few days, yet I'm not hungry. And now that I think about being hungry, I feel my stomach growl. I get up to go, when my heart twinges a bit at the thought of leaving Link alone in the dark on a stormy night. W-why is this? Lightning strikes again and I hear a scream come from the bed. I turn to see Link thrashing in the bed, kicking the covers off and sending the pillows across the room.

Panicked, I run over and put my hands on her shoulders, giving her a light shake as she freaks out. "Link, it's alright! It's okay! Nothing's hurting you!" I say, sitting on the bed and hugging her to me. She snaps out of the frenzy and I get surprised when she hugs me back, practically squeezing the life out of me. "You alright?" I ask, holding her head to my chest. She nods a little, but then stops and shakes her head, gripping my tunic. "What was it?"

'A nightmare,' her thoughts even sound sick. They're raspy and weak, as if she is speaking through a sore throat.

"What was it about?"

'…Someone I care about…they turned into a monster and…and…I couldn't save them,' she tells me, still shaking as I feel the front of my tunic become wet.

"I'll go get you some water," I move to leave, but she just hugs me harder.

'Don't go,' I think my heart breaks a little inside. She sounds like a scared kid. I stand, but cradle her as I get onto the bed, leaning on the back of it.

"I won't," I whisper, thinking it impossible to leave her like this, even if for a second.

'Thank you,' she relaxes, but still shivers. I rub her back and rock a bit, not knowing how or why I'm doing this. 'Sheik…am I gunna be alright?'

A lump grows in my throat, she sounds…scared. "Why do you think you won't be?"

She doesn't answer. 'Will I be okay?' she asks again.

She must have never been this sick in her life. And to have a nightmare on top of being sick, that's not a good combination. "You're going to be fine. Nothing will hurt you."

''Cause you'll protect me, right?' I look down at her, she's looking up. Her face is so innocent, the most innocent I've ever seen her when she's awake. I touch my forehead to hers, closing my eyes.

"Right," I say in a breath. "Go back to sleep, Linky. You need it." Since when did I start calling her 'Linky'?

She doesn't say or do anything, she just closes her eyes and soon starts to snore quietly. I smile and hug her closer, letting my head rest on hers, and close my own eyes. 'I'll protect her, Rusl. I promise. For both of us.'

Next time I wake up, I find that the storm is still strong, and the candle I lit is down to embers. It's morning once again. I look down and see Link, her face not as red as before, but when I feel her forehead, she's still hot. I gently get up and place her on the bed, repeating the process of getting the cloth damp. I sit in the chair again and lean over, gripping her hand so she knows I'm still here. I'm not going to leave you. I'll be by your side. With my other hand, I hold the side of her face, making her move her head into my hand like she did when she was a pup.

In all honesty, I don't miss Shorty. Now that I have her back, I realize how much I missed Link. I missed her funny, spunky attitude, her stubborn pride, her cheerful smile, her proud, kind eyes. Her ocean eyes. No matter what, they've never changed. My stomach is full of butterflies at the thought of her eyes, the thought of them smiling at me, laughing, I realize how much I like her eyes. They show the true Link, no matter what. Maybe…maybe these feelings aren't so bad…?

No! Sheik, you need to stop. You can protect Link, but not if you think of her like that.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, calming down. When I open my eyes again, I find Link awake, looking at me with hazy eyes. I smile and take my hand from her face, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Good morning, Link," I say. "Any better?"

'You asked me this a few hours ago,' she laughs weakly before coughing. I miss her usual laugh. It's the only sound she can make, and it's like music. 'I dunno. Am I better?'

"You look a lot better. You're not as red and you're cooling down, even if it's slightly. What'd I tell you? You're going to be fine," this stupid smile won't leave my face, but just seeing Link trying to smile back makes it grow. I probably look like a dork right now, but I don't care.

'Can I have some water?' she asks and it takes all my strength not to run to get it. I come back and hand her a cup, helping her sit up and take it. Her hands are too shaky and I take the cup before she can spill it all over herself, and tip it so she can drink. I see her face get darker and worry, is she getting hot again? The reddened face vanishes and I realize she blushed, which makes me blush. I shake my head, no, that doesn't matter anymore. 'I'm happy I'm me again.'

"I'm happy you're you again, too," I say, taking the cup and putting it down. Thunder crashes outside and Link shivers. "Are you cold?"

To my surprise, she nods, not denying it. "I'll go fix a bath for you so you can warm up," I say, getting up and going to the washroom. I heat up the water, pour it into a tub, and get a towel and soap ready. I come back in to find Link trying to stand, but her legs are too wobbly. I catch her as she falls forward and chuckle. "Isn't this familiar?" I tease. She rolls her eyes as I help her to the washroom. "Can you do this yourself?" I ask. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.

'Yep, I'll be fine,' she smiles and I sigh in relief before leaving. While she's washing, I should get some new clothes for her, and probably something to eat. Soup will be best, I don't trust her eating solid food yet. These goals set in mind, I leave the room and run to Link's, somehow finding it with no problems. I get a baggy tunic that will work as a sleeping gown and leave. I knock on the door and when I don't hear anything, I slowly enter to hear splashing in the washroom. Good, she's still in there. I fold the tunic onto the bed and leave again, this time going to the kitchens.

When I entire the kitchens, I find Zelda sitting there reading a book, eating some porridge. She looks up from her book and smiles as she bookmarks it and puts it down. "Good morning, Sheik," she greets. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, I just thought I'd get some soup for Link. She's probably hungry," I say, scooping some pumpkin soup into a bowl.

"Good choice of soup, that's her favorite," Zelda says, her smile growing.

"Her favorite's pumpkin?" I ask.

Zelda nods. "It's her favorite food, besides Cucco. She's grown up with pumpkin, since Ordon can grow them year-round."

I nod at this new information as I put the bowl on a small tray. "What else does she like?" I ask.

The princess smiles knowingly. "Why don't you ask her?" she asks, getting up and taking her book as she leaves, making me think that over. This could be a good time to learn more about the small Hylian. I'm not even sure how old she is. I know she's younger than me, but that's it. Shrugging, I pick up the tray and go back to the room. I enter it to find Link sitting on the bed, wearing the sleep gown/tunic and humming as she moves her head from side to side, watching her bangs flop back and forth.

Dammit Link! Stop doing things that make me thing you're cute!

Her eyes fall on me and she smiles. 'I smell pumpkin,' she thinks as I come in.

"I wonder why that is?" I say sarcastically as I put the tray down in front of her. "Here, I thought you might be hungry."

'Thanks,' she thinks and picks up the spoon, taking a mouthful of soup. 'I love pumpkin. Not many other people I know do though, it's weird.'

"I'm not a huge fan of it myself, but my cousin makes great pie out of it," I say, sitting down in the chair.

'Really? Cool. I think you mentioned your cousin before, maybe, who are they?'

"Her name's Sonja. She's a black-rank Sheikah and the best at her age, maybe even older ages."

'Black-rank? There are ranks?'

"Yes, the first rank is white-rank. Then green-rank, orange-rank, red-rank, blue-rank, which is where I am, grey-rank and black-rank. There's one more, and I only know one person who's gotten it. It's the silver-rank."

'You're a blue-rank? Is that what you're garb means?' she asks, eating some more soup.

"Yes. I'm second-top of my age. Which is hard, believe me."

'Sounds like it. I could never learn to do all those stunts,' she shakes her head, laughing.

"No, probably not," I laugh along with her. "So, what other things do you like?"

'Well…' she thinks for a moment. 'I really like the rain. Not when it's stormy, just when it's rainy. It just refreshes everything. I love the moon and stars, one of my favorite pass-times is stargazing,' -I check that on my list to take Link stargazing, maybe I can teach her the constellations- 'I love the forest. When I was younger, I would just go out at night and sit in the trees, just listing to the owls and other night animals. Oh, and quick note, never, ever, _ever_ go really deep in the Faron Woods from the bridge. If you see a bunch of dead trees, _run back_. I'm not even kidding,' she shutters, like she lived some horrible experience.

"What happened?" I ask.

'I don't want to talk about it,' she shutters again before smiling, easily forgetting about it. 'What about you? What do you like? Any favorite foods?'

So now it's my turn, huh? Alright, I'll bite. "Peaches. They're hard to come by where I used to live, but I get them when I come here," I say. She looks thoughtful, nodding. "I prefer when it's sunny, but I'm used to the sun, so that might contribute. And I love a night in the desert."

'Yeah, desert nights are amazing. All the stars you can see, it's absolutely beautiful,' Link nods, agreeing whole-heartedly.

For the rest of the morning, we just talk. I learn that Link isn't fond of cats, calling them 'evil demons', and she only likes a cat called Louise that is owned by Telma, she used to like riding goats at Ordon, and that Epona seems to know exactly what she thinks. And Link learns that I don't like cows, weird, I know, I'm allergic to pollen, and my Clydesdale, Joyce, was born with the help of Sonja and me when we were both pre-teens. I also learned Link's turning eighteen in about a month and she knows I'm turning twenty in the winter after the New Year.

When I look out the window, the storm is starting to settle and I can tell by the light it's an hour after mid-day. Wow, we talked for a long time. 'It's nice having someone I can talk to as me,' Link smiles. 'Sometimes it gets annoying when people refer to me as 'Hero' or 'Saviour of Hyrule.'' I nod, happy that we can actually open up to each other.

"Well, I'm going to have a walk. I'll be back later," I say as she settles back down into the bed. I take the tray with me and leave.

Do I wish I stayed.

After a few hours of walking, and clearing my head, I see Navi flying at me, her aura red. "Sheik! Thank Deku Tree! I've been looking all over! Link's fever got worse! She's actually been calling for you!" my eyes widen and I feel my heart drop. Not wanting to waste a second, I sprint through the castle, crashing through people, and burst into the room to see Zelda putting a cloth on Link's forehead.

"What happened?" I ask, coming over and staring at Link.

"We don't know," Midna says as she comes in with a bucket of water. "Her temperature just rose and she started going crazy."

"When did that start?"

"An hour ago. We think someone might have come in here," Zelda says, handing me a glass shard. "We found this on the floor. There's some sort of powder on the bottom, so I think this might have been a minor poison potion. But even if it is minor, it's causing Link to get sicker, and when I try to cure the poison, she pushes me away."

"And she's been muttering nonsense, along with calling you," Midna says.

"Why me?"

"We don't know. Maybe you can do something," Zelda backs up and I slip into her place instinctively. I grab Link's hand, wishing for her to stop, but she still thrashes.

"I know what to do. But I'll need you guys to leave," I say, eyes hardening.

Zelda, as if she knows what I'm about to do, nods, giving Link one last look before leaving. Midna follows, giving me a look that clearly says 'If you mess up, I'm killing you'. And Navi, aura still red, reluctantly flies out. I close the door, open the window all the way, and start a fire in the fireplace. I walk over to Link and grab her hand tightly. Even as she tries to pull back, she can't get out of my grip. I turn my head to the fire and raise my hand. Following in sync with my hand, the fire flickers and rises a bit. I clench my hand into a fist and the fire slowly, painfully slowly, flows out of the fireplace like water. It comes to me until it touches my hand and engulfs my arm in flame, but I don't feel it. I tighten my hold on Link's hand, who I can feel struggling more, and close my eyes, summoning all the power I can.

I'm pulled into a black void, misty air floating everywhere, and I hold onto the fire as I walk through, burning away the void. When I spot a small prickle of light, I go to it, not running, I don't want the flame to die. When I reach the prickle of light, I bend down and sit on my knees, bringing my arms in. The fire jumps to my other hand and sets fire to my other arm. With the fire burning bright, I cup my hands around the prickle of light, forcing the fire into it and making the tiny light grow. Pulsing with energy, the light grows larger and larger until in consumes the entire void, eating away the darkness that plagues Link's mind.

Once it's clear, I look into the distance and see a something lying there. Even from here I can see their chest moving steadily up and down. Smiling I great relief, I start walking, careful to keep a steady pace so I don't scare away the light and bring the void back. I reach them to see Link and crouch down beside her, grabbing her hand. "It's alright, you can come back," I say and everything flashes a bright red.

When I open my eyes again, I find that the stream of fire is going back into the fireplace, the room dimming back to its original colour. I smile, feeling beads of sweat running down my face, and turn to look at Link, who's stopped thrashing and, even though she's red faced as if the sun burned her, she's resting and is fine. She's fine, she's fine. I keep telling myself this as I loosen my grip on her hand, but don't let go fully. I shouldn't have left her, but at least I was able to save her. I brush her bangs away from her face and put a damp cloth on her forehead again before slipping her some water.

Once the room is finally dark again, with only light from outside shining in, I sit back, panting in the chair. I haven't had to do that spell for a very long time. As the door opens, I close my eyes and fall asleep, still holding Link's hand.

-Later-

I wake up sometime later to find that I'm still in the chair, but a blanket is around my shoulders and a pillow is behind my back. Link is still sleeping, her breathing is a bit shallow, but otherwise she's much better than before. That spell works wonders, but it's the hardest one to perform. I'm one of the only Sheikah who can work it properly without any mixed results.

"Wow, you've been here the entire time," I look up to see a redhead standing at the door. I think I saw him dancing with that Gerudo at the mask party. "Me and the others came a bit, but you were by her side every time we came."

"You try using a healing spell like the one I did and see how long you sleep for," I try to make my voice sound not snappy, but that spell also gets me moody.

The boy just smiles, seeming to not mind my attitude. "Link's better, that's all I ask for. My name's Adam, by the way. I became friends with Link the day she moved in. She was lost," he laughs.

I just smirk tiredly, looking at Link. "She has strange ways of making friends."

"Yeah, but she's great to be with. No one else in the castle will throw eggs at snobs with me," Adam smiles goofily as he leans on the bedpost. "Who are you anyway?"

"Sheik," I say shortly.

Adam nods, "You know, you should probably rest in a real bed, I don't think the chair's good for your back."

"I'm not leaving again," I say, angry at myself.

"I know you're kicking yourself for what happened, but don't become over-protective for her. You couldn't know someone would try to poison her. And she's fine, so don't worry about it," Adam says reassuringly. "I need to get going, dad's planning another council meeting soon," he rolls his eyes and waves a goodbye.

I sigh and look at Link. "You have weird friends," I tell her, she groans and rolls over. I smile and give Link's hand one last squeeze, somehow I was holding it all this time, and let go. I stand and go over to the window, sitting on the sill as I look out over the castle grounds, thinking of nothing as I stare off into the distance.

-Link's POV-

I open my eyes slowly, trying to remember what happened after Sheik left. I think I fell asleep, when I was woken up by someone. They made me drink something, it tasted like cinnamon, and then it felt like my head was being filled with all sorts of horrible images. I couldn't escape them, and I had to start fighting, so that's what I did. Through the fighting, I felt something hold my hand, it was invisible, I couldn't see it, but I felt it giving me reassurance. I remember calming down enough to block out the worst of the images, can't remember what they were, and I think I heard a voice. It said everything would be fine, and that it was okay to come back. I…I think it was Sheik.

Speaking of Sheik, I see the Sheikah sitting on the windowsill, looking out of it as he stares off into nothing. I smile, knowing he helped me. 'Sheik?' I ask, he looks over and smiles softly. 'What happened to me?' I shift in the bed, almost afraid to know.

"You were poisoned. It's fine now though, I cured it," he says, sitting down on the chair. Has he been here the whole time?

'Thank you. You really saved me,' I look down at the blanket, feeling my face heat up a little more.

"I couldn't let you become mad, could I?" he asks, brushing my hair away from my face, but I don't mind.

'And here I was thinking I was already crazy,' I tease, grinning. He rolls his eyes and grips my hand, I grip back, smiling in amusement at how his hands are a lot bigger than mine.

"You are crazy, but that's a good thing. Hyrule needs more crazy people like you," he says. It's my turn to roll my eyes.

'Lemme guess, you're gunna ask me how I'm feeling?' I smirk.

"Yes actually. And?"

'I feel a lot better. I think all I need to do now is just sleep for the next three days and I'll be back on my feet and looking for the last two sages in now time!'

He shakes his head, smiling. "Only you," he simply says. He gets up and leans close, I inch my head back, but he only pushes a bit of bang out of the way, his eyes smirking. "Have a good rest, Shorty," he says.

'You too, Jerk,' I retort and he backs off, leaving to let me finally have a rest of peace. I'm still a little warm, but it doesn't bother me as I close my eyes and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

-Somewhere else-

"Dammit!" he curses loudly as he paces the dark room. "We were so close! The hero was almost killed, but then that Sheikah had to get involved."

"I thought it was funny," the shrilly woman back flips. "Besides, why are you so worked up, Debby? Now we have more time to get ready!"

"Stop calling me Debby! But I see your point. You're very, very insane point. I will kill the hero! Even if it's the last think I do!"

Gery: Wow, I haven't typed a chapter out that fast for a while, eh? I liked typing this one, I thought the Shinkness was cute. ^_^ This is my first time having a bit more fluffy romance in anything I've typed, so it's not great, but I like it. It's actually not as hard as I thought it would be. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's stuck with me, and who has givin me a chance. I was scared putting this story up, since I put a little bit of myself into my writing, and I wasn't sure it would be that great. But you guys and your nice reviews have given me so much confidence, I can't tell you how much I love you guys. I hope you always stay so wonderful and that you never change. And you know what I find ironic? I'm getting over a sore throat I got yesterday, and that was when I started writing about Link being sick. I think the Fanfiction has taken its revenge. Well, that's all I can say. Be sure to look forward to a Hallowe'en Special next Wednesday! You'll be able to find out what Link said when she mentioned the dead trees! See ya!


	16. Hallowe'en Special!

Hallowe'en Special!

Gery: *Dressed as Link 'cause I'm a dork* Hey, here's the second special! Okay, so I was on YouTube and watched someone read "Cupcakes". In all honesty, I didn't find it that scary. Creepy? Yes. Disturbing? Very. But scary? Naw, not really. I think part of it was due to the fact that I know that it would never happen. It's kinda how I felt after reading about BEN, it didn't scare me, but it was creepy. Anyway, you know want's messed up? (Other than the fanfic) I was hungry after. Is that weird? And I find it funny that just seeing a Redead makes me almost pee my pants, but I can go through _that_. I'm messed in the head…

At twelve-years-old, Link sat on her roof as she looked around at the night sky, the full moon casting a glow on Ordon as the fall leaves fell to the ground from the howling wind. She didn't know why, but she always felt…sad on this night. Even though the stars and moon were the same, they felt…dark…depressed…and, truth be told, scary. She couldn't place it, why she felt like this, but maybe it had to do with the stories that were told on this night. The ones of the ghouls and ghosts that rise from Din's Hell to wreak havoc on the living, others of the dead humans that could turn into Keese, drank human blood, and lived in the ground, or the monsters that were the dead, and rose from the earth to eat human flesh. But the scariest story she heard was of the creature that takes kids if they wander into the forest.

She was told the story by Rusl, who was the best story teller in the village. He said that the creature was ten feet tall, it had short arms and hooks for hands, it had a long nose, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and no eyes. It was a bloodthirsty beast that thrived on the unlucky travellers that were lost in its woods, but the real meal that it was hungry for was children. This story was told to frighten the kids into not going to the woods, but Link had been there many times, and not once did she see this monster.

And boy was she happy about that, she wouldn't want to meet it anyway. But she was sceptical. Did such a creature like that even exist? And if it did, how did Rusl know? Did he see it? Was he told it by a friend? However he knew the story, Link had a feeling it was just that: a story, just something to give the kids a good scare.

How she wished now that she was right.

She climbed down from the roof using the oak tree by her house, and when her feet hit the ground, she heard a strange noise. It sounded like a goat got lose. Not wanting the goat to get hurt, she followed the sound and came to the Spirit Spring, where a big, male Ordon Goat was drinking the clear water. She sighed, he always got out. She walked over to the goat and tugged on his horns, but he simply tossed his head and sent her flying a few feet away. She sat up and leaned back on her hands, water dripping down her clothes and hair. She got to her feet and crossed her arms at the goat before going to his side and pushing with her back, trying to make him move. When that failed to work, she climbed onto the goat's back, using his fur to get up, and was planning to ride him like a horse, when a loud screeching was heard. It was like a mix between a cat and a Keese, and made the goat freak out.

Holding on for dear life, Link rode the goat out of the spring, but he didn't go back to Ordon. Instead, he ran across the bridge and into Faron Woods. He crashed through bushes and trees, going well off the path of the main trail with Link on his back. She was gripping the goat's fur with all her strength and her legs were in the air behind her at the speed the goat was going. She kept finding herself covered in leaves, mud and the odd branch as the scared goat went deeper into the trees.

When he finally stopped, the goat dropped to the ground. Exhausted, Link let go and fell to the ground beside him, her arms screaming from having held on to the goat. She panted as she looked around, they were in an area she had never seen before. The trees were all dead, white husks of their former selves, and the moon was an eerie orangey/red. The clouds were the same as the moon, and there were no stars, just an endless black void. It was like she entered an entirely different world.

After five long, hour-like minutes, Link stood up and patted the goat's side, noticing a bit of blood on his head. Probably from all the branches he rammed into. She tried helping him get to his feet, but being her, she didn't have the strength. Giving up, she sat down and rested her back on the goat, looking into the dead trees. Then, from out of nowhere, fog drifted in and obscured her vision, only letting her see a small circle around her. Getting scared, Link got up and shook the goat, trying to get it to move, when shuffling was heard behind her.

She turned quickly, but couldn't see anything. Then she saw a distant figure, which looked very tall. It was just standing there, watching her. A dark shiver went down her spine, and she could feel her heart beating fast in her chest. It was so loud that she thought the thing looking at her could hear it. Then, slowly, as if wanting to make the suspense rise, the thing walked towards her, raising a short arm and letting her see a shining hook. Fear entered her entire body, and she shook violently. This was the monster Rusl told her about. It was real, and it was coming right at her!

She stepped back, trying to get away, but tripped over the goat's head and fell back, going down a cliff she hadn't seen. Rolling down, she could hear the painful cries of the goat, and she could only imagine the monster ripping it apart with its hooks, making as much pain as it could. When she finally came to a stop, she found she was at the edge of a river, the water looking like blood, and she got to her feet. Stepping forward, she stepped on something soft and looked down.

Her scream must have been heard from Hyrule Castle.

It was a human body. The chest was ripped to shreds, right above the heart, as if someone, or something, had dug in and had taken it out, showing it to the person who had it. The eyes were missing, not even hollow sockets were there, only flesh, its nose was stretched out, and the mouth was open slightly, blood all around it. Looking away from the face, which was burned into her mind, she saw that the person's arms were missing, only the shoulders were there, and her heart started to beat faster. The monster must have done this, this was an unlucky traveller. She looked over her shoulder, and was thankful that the monster wasn't there, before searching the body. There was nothing in him, he only had his clothes.

There was another screech and she couldn't even turn before something grabbed the back of her shirt. She screamed as she was lifted off the ground and brought to the face of the monster, its eyeless gaze piercing into her, like it was looking into her soul. The monster walked over to the river, and dunked her in. She shivered as she was brought back up, shivering from the cold, crimson coloured water. The monster screeched in her face, making her smell its rotten breath, and it was about to rake its hook down her face when something hit the back of its head. The monster dropped Link, she fell on top of the body of the monster's last victim, and it screeched at the thing that attacked it, but when it looked, there was nothing there.

The monster turned back to Link, and she flinched back, trying to get away, when something kicked the monster in the back and made it trip over her. She put her arms over her head as the tall monster fell forward and shook the ground when it hit. She felt something wrap around her and her scream was caught in her throat when she was taken into the air. She watched as the dead trees traveled under her in a blur for a few moments before looking up behind her, a giant eagle was carrying her. Its eyes smirked as it lowered her into a nest and perched itself on the edge. "You are one foolish child," it chuckled, "coming into Dead Tree Woods. Don't you know the Hollow is merciful to no one? Especially children?"

Link looked down at the forest floor. So that's what that thing was called…

"I assume that you thought the Hollow was a myth?" the eagle asked. Link nodded. "Most humans do. As only a few of them escape the monster. I remember years ago, a young boy came in here by accident too. I believe he had been looking for a lost goat. I saved him as well after he confronted the Hollow. It was a very long time ago," she said. "He was no older than your age at the time."

Link was wondering who she was talking about.

"Well, you should stay here for the night. You don't want the monster to follow you back to your home," the eagle hopped into the nest, and Link moved aside. "Get some rest, I will keep watch. And don't worry about the Hollow, it can't climb trees."

Nodding, Link curled up and rested her head on her arms, the Hollow still on her mind as she fell asleep.

Link awoke the nest morning to find that it wasn't morning at all, the moon was still in the sky, as if it hadn't moved, and the clouds were the same shapes they were yesterday. Confused, she looked at the eagle, who was awake, and the bird's eyes smiled. "Time is frozen here, it has been since the Hollow came. And until it is dead, time will remain frozen, the trees will stay dead, and the river will be filled with undrinkable water."

Link blinked a few times, wondering why no one can kill it. "It is a strong monster, centuries old and still good as ever, but it is not immortal. But what way is there to kill it? It has no weaknesses. It is too fast, too strong, and too smart to be killed by normal means. Besides, what can anyone do? Your home is just lucky it doesn't know about it. If it had followed anyone, it would create chaos for the entire land."

Looking down at the floor, Link spotted the Hollow wandering around the base of the tree they're in, and backed up, not wanting it to see her. "What did I say last night? The Hollow can't climb tree-" the eagle was silenced when a _thud_ shook the tree, and the two dared to look over the edge of the nest. Link's eyes grew wide when she saw the Hollow using its hooks to climb the tree. She looked at the eagle, who cursed under her breath. "There's another thing, he always seems to learn more every year. And now he knows how to climb. Come, we must go," the eagle grabbed Link by her shoulders and took off from the nest as the Hollow was about to make it.

But the problem was, the Hollow knew how to jump.

It leapt from the nest and landed on the back of the eagle, digging its hooks into her back. The eagle screeched and tried to toss the Hollow off, but nothing worked, the hooks were digging deeper into her flesh and were ripping her skin when she tried to dislodge it. Switching targets, the Hollow crawled down the eagle's side and fixed its gaze on Link, before reaching out for her. He was about to get her when she felt herself falling. The eagle had let her go. Not able to scream, Link flailed, trying to grab something, when she fell into a small hole that was wet and smelled horrible. She got to her feet and stood, almost puking when she saw where she was. She had fallen into the mauled body of the goat. That was disgusting. She gagged as she started to climb out of the body, but saw a figure and let herself fall back in.

She hugged her legs close to her chest and watched the outside of the hole as footsteps came closer and closer to her. Her heart beat increased again and she shivered as blood kept dripping down her, the smell of the goat making her senses duller. When she saw a face look in at her, she gasped and buried her head into her arms, waiting for the Hollow's hook to dig into her flesh and-

"Link?" the voice of Rusl interrupted her thoughts and her head snapped up, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Come on, quick!" Rusl grabbed her hand and pulled her out, sprinting away from the goat as he held her bridle-style. There was a screech and Link looked behind them to see the Hollow chasing after them, it's screechy cry echoing through the trees. Her arms tightened around Rusl's neck as he ran faster, somehow staying fifteen meters away from the Hollow.

They finally made it out of the woods, and Link couldn't take her eyes off the dead trees as the Hollow came to a stop, like it couldn't leave. It clawed the air in front of it, as if a barrier was keeping it inside, and after a while, it screeched and ran back to where it was supposed to be. Rusl put Link down as she kept staring at the trees wide-eyed, and as she did, her guardian wiped some of the blood off her and took some twigs out of her hair. "It's alright, Link. It's gone," Rusl whispered as he bent to her eye-level, making her look at him. "Let's get back to Ordon and get you cleaned up," he said and started walking, noticing Link's legs shaking as she trotted behind him.

Smiling softly, Rusl stopped and held out his arms. Without protest, Link hugged him and he picked her up, carrying her for the rest of the way. Once they were back in her tree house, Rusl started a bath as Link sat on the table, still in shock. Rusl shook her shoulder, making her come out of her daze slightly, and motioned to the bath. She went into the small separate room and started washing the blood off, her mind processing what happened.

When she came out, she saw Rusl leaning on the table, smiling worriedly. As she walked over, he bent down and hugged her, rocking her a bit. "You had quite the night, haven't you? It's not everyday someone sees the Hollow." Link shivered at the name. "Did it hurt you?" Link shook her head, which was buried in Rusl's neck. "Good. I remember when I encountered it," Link took her head away a bit, looking at him in shock. "Yes, I was your age, and I went out looking for a stray goat. When I found it, I saw it getting ripped apart by the Hollow. If it weren't for that eagle, I would be dead. That's why I warned you kids with the story I told, it was never fake, and it still haunts me. Link, I want you to never go into those woods again, I might not be there to save you next time." Link tilted her head, making him smile a bit. "I was looking for the goat that got out. When I was by the Spirit's Spring, I saw you riding it across the bridge, and I had heard the Hollow. Its cry is loud, as you know now, and can be heard from the spring on nights like this. It took me a while to remember the path, and all I was thinking about was you getting hurt or killed by it. It was lucky that I was passing the goat when I saw you in it."

Link gulped. She would never forget the Hollow or that night. But she hoped she'd never have to re-live it.

Gery: Tada! There we go, the Hallowe'en Special is done. Yay! More about Link's past! I wanted to make a kind of creepy-ish thing, but I don't think it was that great. Oh well, I personally like the Hallow. Well, happy Hallowe'en everybody! And remember, life's a party! ;)


	17. Chapter 14

To Lady Fai: I guess she would be better, but I like to imagine Din bringing the dead to the Realm, I dunno why. Now that you mention it, I think I've heard that somewhere else to. That's going to be explained this chapter, well, most likely anyway. (Special) Yeah, I kept imagining Slendy too. It's a mix. Heh, I love Nightmare Before Christmas! ~This is Hallowe'en! This is Hallowe'en! Pumpkins scream in the dead of night! Hahaha, it's great :D!

To NekoKitty13: Heh, thank you ^_^. I'm not used to writing stuff so fluffy and romancy-ish. I think I did okay. And thank you again! (Special) It is crazy, and I won't forget that eagle either.

To alemery: Thank you :) I'm happy you like it. Don't worry, most chapters are more than twenty pages or so (except the Holiday Specials and prologue), I like typing longer chapters, personally, it's a lot more fun! :D

To Shiro: Yeah, I thought so too ^_^. It's my favorite aw well, it's just nice and simple, and there's fluffiness.

To Zelda's Spirit93: Heheh, thank you! I'm happy you enjoy this! Yeah, I thought it would be cool to have he as a she, I'm a fan of gender bending, just to see what kind of different things can happen. I can't wait for the rest of the story either:D!

To Mihang: You're computer must love you :) Just kiddin', I hate it when my laptop shuts off because of updates, glad it hasn't hit rock bottom yet. Yes, the Shink. I've been waiting for the perfect moment for them to bond and make the Shinkness grow. Aww, thank you ^_^. Yeah, I'm getting better. Stupid cold though, I had to miss three days of school:'(. I think my butt got a bed groove, it was very, very numb when I stood up. Can't even remember the last time I sat for so long *shivers*. Don't worry, Pretty Boy has a very, _very_ big part in all this, we'll find out more about him later. The moment I made him I knew what was going to happen with him. Which doesn't happen often for me, so…yeah. Personally, I want to throw an anvil or thirty, but that's just me. Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Nura, she'll be back soon if I have anything to say about it. And I have no bricks with me ;).

To Guest: Yeah, but Vaati's not very nice.

Gery: Well you look at that, we're getting back into the swing of things! I can't think of anything-

Alex: Like usual

Gery: Oh shut up. Disclaimer!

Nura: Do we have to?

Gery: Yes. It's the rule

Adam: Fine. Gery doesn't own Legend of Zelda. She only owns this plot and OCs

Gery: Enjoy :D!

Chapter 14: Back on Track, Sorta

The first thing I think when I wake up is 'holyshizmagicwasusedonme!' and I sit up in bed, eyes wide. I look around to find Sheik sitting in the chair again, his head hanging as he sleeps. I shiver a bit, finding it funny that magic cured magic, and poke his arm to wake him up. When it doesn't work, I poke him a few more times when he grabs my wrist.

"You can stop now," he says calmly, smirking as he lowers my arm. "And yes, I used magic to help cure you from magic. I'm surprised you didn't fight me like you did to Zelda."

I look down at the bedcover, why didn't I fight against him? "You mentioned something about fighting images, and feeling something grab you hand and hearing my voice. Maybe that had something to do with it?"

'I'm not sure. But thanks, that probably took a lot of your energy,' I smile gratefully.

"Link, how can you trust me?" his question confuses me. Where did that come from? "I used so much magic around you, even knowing you were afraid of it. I even taunted you with it! How do you have so much trust towards me?"

I rub the back of my neck, I don't know why I trust Sheik. There's just this feeling in me that refuses to let me _not_ trust him. It's like I'm willing to trust him with anything, I feel like I can just be with him and not have a worry in the world. Why is that? 'Dunno,' I shrug eventually. 'I have no real reason not to trust you. Yeah, you used magic around me, so what? Other people do it too, you know. Besides, you saved my life more than once, and one little mistake isn't gunna make me hate you.'

His eyes brighten at that, but I don't know why. Does he have abandonment issues or something? Maybe that's something to ask another time. 'So, now that I'm back to normal, I need to talk to Zelda about finding the next Sage.'

"I shouldn't have expected any less," Sheik smirks. "Well, I have to deal with something anyway. See you around, Shorty," he says as he opens the door.

'See ya, Jerk,' I think. He closes the door behind him with a roll of his eyes. Smiling, I kick the covers off and stand up, a bit shakily, on my legs. Great, I'm not used to my own legs. I huff, it's always something.

I open the door, smiling at being able to use my hands again, and close it behind me with a soft click. I stretch my arms over my head and lock my hands behind my head as I take the familiar path to the throne room. Most likely Zelda'll be there. I pass a few servants on my way, all of them asking me where I have been. I just shrug at them and finally make it to the throne room. I look in to see Zelda talking with Pretty Boy again. Ugh, what does he want now?

With a little hesitation, I walk in as Pretty Boy's saying something about a battle plan. I don't really listen. I wait, a bit impatiently, behind him, my hands behind my back as I stand tall. After a few minutes, I'm bored and walk up behind Pretty Boy, seeing Zelda notice me. I send her a playful smirk before jabbing at Pretty Boy's side. He jerks away and turns, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. I just smile goofily as he glares at me.

"You are just hilarious," he says bitterly. I mock bow. I notice Zelda hiding a smile behind her hand as Pretty Boy's glare hardens. "I guess I will talk to later when we don't have any…unwanted interruptions," he bows to Zelda and gives me one last icy glare. I mock bow once again.

'I aim to please,' I think, making sure my thoughts are on my face, just to bug him. It works. Letting out an irritated sigh, he leaves and I wave childishly at his back. 'Don't let the doors hit ya on the way out!'

"Oh Link, stop patronizing him," Zelda says, I hear the giggles in her voice.

'Do I have to?' I fake whine, letting my arms drop.

"Yes."

'Fine,' I sigh. After a few seconds, we just laugh. Once we regain our breath I walk up the few stairs.

"How are you?" Zelda asks.

'A lot better. It's nice to be able to use my thumbs again,' I say, bending my thumbs.

"Do you remember the face of the person who poisoned you?" she asks.

'No, I don't even remember getting poisoned.'

"I'm guessing you're here to find out about the next Sage?"

'Yeah.'

"Well, I was thinking. It might be faster to find the Sage of Shadow first."

'Why's that?'

"We need Nura's help for the Gerudo, but she's still recovering from getting her sight back. We need to give her as much time as we can to heal. And since you know Sheik, I was thinking he could take you."

'I dunno 'bout that, Zelly,' I rub the back of my head, 'whenever I bring up his teachers, he gets angry. I think he might have had a bad life with the Sheikah. Either that or he had a fight with his teachers and he left. I don't want him to remember any bad memories just 'cause of me.'

"Hmm, I see. But we don't know anyone else who is a Sheikah, and their city isn't located on any of the maps we have. Sheikah are like shadows, they're almost non-existent, but you know they're there."

'Well, maybe I can try, I guess. Hope he doesn't get mad.'

"Sheik should still be in Castle Town. I would go look at Telma's Bar, everyone finds their way there, weather it on accident or not."

'Sure thing,' I nod and walk to the doors. 'I hope he's still there…'

-Sheik's POV-

I enter the bar, maybe I can find out more here. I have a feeling Link is part of the Resistance, so maybe they know where I can get good supplies. Perhaps I can learn more about the shorty on the way. I walk up to the bar, where a woman is cleaning a glass. She has dark, Gerudo-like skin and orangey-brown hair. I have a feeling this woman is part Gerudo. "Hello there," she smiles. "Not every day I see new faces. Or at least all I can see of yours," I shrug, I had changed back into my usual clothes at the Castle. "Would you like anything?"

"Can I get a small glass of ale?" I ask. Haven't had some in a while.

"Sure thing. So, what else are you here for?" well she's straight to the point.

"I was wondering if you know where a good place to supply is. I'm not quiet used to the city yet."

"Ah, I see. Well, a good place to go would be the Malo Mart in the main part of town."

"Malo Mart?" I've heard of that place before, back in Kakariko, but I didn't know it made it here.

"Yes, it took over an old shop that would run your wallet dry. Thank goodness for that. They sell things from arrows to traveling supplies. It's not hard to find," she explains as she passes me some ale.

"Thank you," I say, taking a gulp. I look around the bar/inn and spot some people surrounding a table with a map on it. "Slow day?" I ask, there's barely anyone here.

"It always is. It's when night comes when this place gets crowded. Just ask Link, she got trapped in here because it was so crowded once."

"Really? She always ends up with the short end of the stick," I remark, taking another gulp. Then I realize, Telma knows Link's a girl? Well, that proves it, Link's part of the Resistance and they probably all know, keeping up the ruse at her request.

"Speaking of the devil," she smiles at the door as it opens. I turn to see Link peeking in, the Master Sword and a shield on her back, and she looks slightly nervous.

'Hi, Telma,' she waves at the bar-tender. Telma smiles back before going to deal with some dishes. Link gulps slightly as she jumps up onto the stool. I can't help but smirk at that. 'Er…Sheik?' she looks down, making her bangs fall into her eyes. I raise an eyebrow. She's not usually like this. 'I…need your help with…something,' her shoulders are stiff. What is she so nervous about?

"Go on," I push a bit when she stops.

'I only need to find two more Sages.'

"I know."

'One of them is in Gerudo Desert, and the other is…um…a Sheikah,' she looks down more, staring at the bar's counter and avoiding eye-contact with me.

"Yeah," I say slowly. Just spit it out already.

'I was wondering if you could take me to the Sheikah,' she thinks quickly, closing her eyes and holding the edges of the seat tightly. I feel a small flare of anger run through me at the mention of them, but quickly get it under control and ask in the calmest voice I can.

"Why do you need my help?" I snap. Okay, maybe that wasn't very calm…

She shifts on the seat, not opening her eyes. 'I don't know anybody else…you're the only Sheikah I know, so I thought you could help me.'

"…I can't take you," I say, thinking of my past.

'Mind if I ask why?'

"Yes. It's none of your business," I say shortly. "Go ask someone else."

She nods slowly. 'Okay. Sorry for bringing it up. Do you know anyone who can take me?'

I think about it. I guess Sonja can take her… "Yes. My cousin can probably take you. She's still on good terms with them."

Her face brightens as she looks up. I feel my heart flutter a bit at the childish smile on her face. 'Really? Great! Thanks, Sheik!' she thinks as I put a blue and yellow Rupee on the counter.

"Come on, I should introduce you two," I say, getting up. She follows, after waving goodbye to Telma, and keeps up with her usual trotting.

'This is a lot of help. Thank you,' she grins up at me and I smile back.

"It's the least I can do. Since I can't go, Sonja will have to. I'm sure she'll like you," we walk through Castle Town and I notice Link has her head ducked. "Problem?" I chuckle.

'I don't like being surrounded if people see it's me. They only leave me alone when I'm on 'Pona, but that's only because she's a big horse,' she thinks, grabbing my arm when she's bumped into.

"Well, you're not wearing your trademark tunic or hat, so people won't know it's you on sight," I explain, helping her up by grabbing her shirt gently, steering her through the crowd. We make it to the stables in no time and Link runs up to her horse, hugging the mare around the neck.

'Epona! I'm back to normal!' as if hearing her, Epona neighs happily and nuzzles Link, making her laugh. I close my eyes and listen, she has the truest laugh I have ever heard, it's not held back, and it's strong. It's nothing like Rosalie's laugh- 'Hey, Sheiky! We goin' or what?' I open my eyes to see her sitting on Epona already, saddleless.

"Is that such a good idea?" I ask, grabbing Joyce's reins.

'I've done it before. Besides, it's faster,' she shrugs, holding onto Epona's mane. 'Where are we goin' anyway?'

"Lon Lon Ranch. My cousin and me were staying there for a while."

'Oh, okay. I haven't been there in a while,' Link looks thoughtful as I mount Joyce.

"Well, let's go. I don't know if Sonja will be there yet or not," I say and we head out.

-Later-

'Eye spy something…grey,' Link thinks. I look at her, raising an eyebrow.

"That's too easy. A rock."

'Nope.'

"Okay, your shield."

'Nu-uh.'

"Your sword?"

'No.'

"Um," just as I'm about to guess again, thunder crashes over our heads. I look up. "The clouds?" I ask blandly.

'You got it!' she smiles. I just rolls my eyes.

"This is such a childish game."

'I never got to play it when I was younger, don't kill my happiness,' she pouts.

Link, how many times must I mind-tell you? Stop being cute!

And how many times must I tell myself to stop thinking that?

I shake my head. "We should set up a shelter. The rain will get us soon," I dismount and she follows suit. We look around and Link points over at a tree.

'That should work. It's big enough to fit the horses under,' she thinks, clicking her tongue and making Epona follow her. I follow her and tie Joyce up, looking at Link questionably when she keeps Epona untied. She glances over and seems to read my mind. 'She's a good horse, she knows when to stay and when to go.' She pulls out some fruit from her dimensional bag. She hands some to me and sits down as Epona lies down. The Hylian leans her back on her horse as she munches on an apple and I shake my head. I'm not going to question Link from now on, I think I'll only get a headache.

I sit down and lean on the tree trunk, eating the peach she gave me. Sonja should be able to get along with Link. She'll know that Link's a girl the moment she meets her. She's the most observant person I know. I can't wait to see Link's face when Sonja meets her. I smirk at the thought.

After a while, it starts to rain, and wind picks up as well, blowing the rain towards us. 'Okay, maybe under a tree wasn't the best idea,' Link thinks sheepishly.

"Not like we had any other option," I pull out a blanket from the saddlebag and toss it over Joyce before throwing another at Link. It hits her in the face and she slips back in the mud, grunting as she hits the wet ground. "Good catch," I laugh as I walk over. She sticks her tongue out at me as I give out my hand to help her up. Once she's on her feet again, she puts the blanket over Epona and I go to the other saddlebag. Oh man, I didn't think I would be taking Link anywhere, so I only brought three blankets. "Looks like we're sharing," I say over my shoulder, taking out the blanket.

'What?'

"I only brought three blankets, so we have to share this one," I explain, looking at her. I can tell she wants to protest, but she doesn't and just walks over. I lay the blanket on the ground and once we're settled, we just lie here in silence, our backs facing each other.

I look over my shoulder at Link, she's already asleep. Lazy. I roll over and see her shivering, she must get cold easily, plus she's covered in mud. She rolls over towards me and I find her curled into me again. She hides her face in my chest and I chuckle lightly, sometimes you wouldn't think she's almost an adult, these are one of those times. "You're a cuddlier, aren't you?" I whisper into her ear. She snores in reply. "I'm taking that as a yes," I smirk, placing my face onto her head. "'Night, Linky."

-The next morning, Link's POV-

Once again, I wake up to see I'm cuddled into Sheik. I feel something on my head and look up to see his face. I quickly look down, feeling heat rise on my cheeks. Why's my heart thudding so fast? Maybe I should ask Zelly why I feel this way around Sheik sometimes. It's not like it happens every time I see him, just when he's holding me or really close to me. I glance up through my bangs again, surprised I'm the first one awake, and try to move away, but he absentmindedly pulls me closer in his sleep. I make a funny squeaking sound as he hugs me, and I move my hands up to push on his chest. 'Sheeeeik, let go,' I mind-whine, wanting him to wake up. 'We need to get to Lon Lon.'

He just mumbles something and hugs me tighter, making my hands stuck. 'Goddess dammit,' I pout. 'Why won't he let go?'

After a few more minutes, I give up. I turn my head and look over at Epona, who I know is laughing in her head. 'Epona! Get him off!' I mind-yell at her, but she acts like she can't understand me and bends her head down to eat the grass. 'Traitor,' I glare. I look back up at Sheik and mind-grumble. 'I'll bite your nose if you don't wake up,' I threaten, he just rolls onto his back, still holding me so I go with him and end up on top of him. 'SHEIK! WAKE UP!' I mind-yell as loud as I can, but he _still_ doesn't wake up. Fed up, I head butt him. He sits up fast and knocks his head with mind, letting me go to hold his forehead as he sits up. One of his arms is still around me, so I'm sitting in his lap, glaring at him.

He opens his eyes and sees me, and his face goes red. I continue to glare. "Holy Goddess, Link, your head is hard!" he says, still rubbing his forehead.

'When you head butt the Ordon Goat kids all the time, you tend to get a thick skull…I feel like I just insulted myself,' I think as he lets go.

Chuckling, he gets up and goes over to his horse, taking the blanket off. "Come on, we should be able to make it to Lon Lon in an hour."

I nod and take the blanket off Epona, giving her a glare that she ignores. 'You coulda helped me, ya know,' I think to her. She just tosses her head, acting 'innocent', and grazes. I huff and mount her, steering her over to Sheik. He finishes packing and stuffs the blankets back into the saddlebag before getting on Joyce.

"Well, let's go," he nudges Joyce's sides and starts galloping off. I take it as a challenge and lean down, clicking my tongue and urging Epona to start running. She lowers her head and runs off, quickly catching up and overtaking Sheik.

'Race ya!' I mind-yell behind me and I can imagine him smirking as I hear his horse galloping faster.

When Lon Lon ranch comes into view, Sheik and me neck-and-neck and I pat Epona's neck. Seeing the glint of freedom in her eyes, she picks up the pace and I think we have it, when Sheik suddenly ends up in front of us, to our confusion. He smirks over his shoulder before looking forward, he and his horse dashing towards Lon Lon in a blur. 'Holy goat, how are they so fast?' I think as I click my tongue again.

Sadly, when we finally make it to Lon Lon, I see Sheik standing beside the barn, looking smug. "Link, a bit of advice, never race against a Sheikah," he says simply as I dismount. Epona nips irritated at me and I jump away so she doesn't get me. "Go put Epona in a stall, I'll go find Sonja." I nod and take Epona's mane. She follows moodily, not happy to know there's a faster horse. How come my horse has such a stubborn pride?

I guess I shouldn't be thinking, she probably learned from me.

-Sheik's POV-

I leave Link to deal with her temperamental work horse and knock on the door of the barn house. The person who answers is the girl who let us stay here in the first place. "Oh, hello, Sheik. I haven't seen you in a while. Sonja's getting impatient."

"She's always bored if she can't go out and chase boys," I roll my eyes, the redheaded girl giggles. "Is she around?"

"Yes, she's out in the corral, I think," she tells me.

"Thank you," I say and walk off towards the corral. Low-and-behold, there's Sonja, yelling at a Cucco for something it did. I question my cousin's sanity sometimes. "Sonja, what are you doing?" I yell at her. She looks at me as I come over, holding a Cucco by the neck in her hands.

"The stupid bird wouldn't shut up this morning, so I'm trying to destroy its voice box," she says as if it's the most normal thing in the world.

"You're crazy," I say.

"Took you this long to notice? Ooh, who's that?" she looks over my shoulder and I turn to see Link looking around before spotting us.

"That's Link. I brought him here because we needed to talk to you," I explain.

"About what?" Sonja asks, watching Link with a calculating eye, making the Hylian stop in her tracks and look at the ground, scuffing her boot in the dirt. Odd, I don't normally see her like this.

"One second," I say and walk over to her, tapping her shoulder. "Coming or not, Shorty?"

'Yeah, it's just that…' she trails off, glancing up.

"Just that what?" I ask.

'It's like she's seeing into me,' she mind-whispers, as if thinking Sonja can hear her.

"Come on," I put a hand on her back and bring her over, to Sonja's obvious amusement. "Sonja, this is Link. Link, Sonja," I say shortly.

"Hi there!" Sonja grabs Link's hand and shakes it firmly. "I have two things to say: What do you need and why do you look like a boy?"

I snicker when Link's ears drop and her eyes go wide, her face looks frozen in shock. "What? You didn't think I was stupid, did you?" Sonja teases, ruffling Link's hair, knocking Link out of her stupor. "Heh, so, what do you two need?"

"Sonja, Link is looking for the current Sages of Hyrule. She's found three of them so far, and needs to find two more. She needs to get to the Sheikah, so I was wondering if you could take her."

"Y'know neither of us have been there in two, almost three years, right?" Sonja asks blandly.

"Yes, I know. But Link needs someone who can lead her there. I can't. So that means you have to," I say, not looking at Link as she looks curiously between Sonja and me.

"'Kay," she shrugs. "Get ready, kiddie," she ruffles Link's hair again, much to her displeasure. "We're leaving once you're ready. You can go get the food," she pushes Link towards the barn house and she stumbles forward, almost slipping in the mud. "She's an interesting one alright."

"You have no idea," I mutter.

"So…have you recovered from Rosalie yet?" she asks casually. I glare at her for bringing it up. "I'm taking that as a 'no'. C'mon, let it go already, Sheik. It's her fault, not yours."

"Yeah, but she wasn't-!" I cut myself off from my yell, glancing over my shoulder. I don't want a certain Hylian to hear.

"Well she should have been!"

"Sonja, just forget it, alright? No one else needs to know."

"…Have you told Link?"

"No."

She smiles sadly. "You know, it's not good to keep it pent up inside. You need to tell someone who doesn't already know."

"I'm not telling Link anything," I turn to leave, but Sonja grabs my shoulders and turns me.

"What have you got to lose?"

"…I'd never be able to face her again if she found out about that," I look away.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. So drop it," I walk away, still fuming inside. Can't I go anywhere without it being brought up? As I walk towards the exit, I walk into something. I come out of my memories to see Link lying in the mud, shaking her head. She looks up and smiles sheepishly.

'I really need to start looking at where I'm walking,' she thinks, standing up.

"No, this time it was my fault. I need to head out. Sonja will help you get to the Tribe," I say.

Suddenly, Link hugs me around my middle, covering me in mud as she squeezes me, pushing her head into my chest. I feel my face become hot. 'Thanks, Sheik.'

"For what?" I ask, still surprised as to why she's hugging me so tightly.

'For…everything,' she looks up with a huge smile, a light red colouring on her cheeks. 'You've been a great friend Sheik, you've helped me with so many things, from a river to being a pup, you've stuck with me. I haven't been able to be myself around many people, and you opened up and let me in. I can't thank you enough. Stay safe,' she thinks as I finally return the hug, not caring about her muddy back.

"I should be telling you that," I smirk, lowering my head to rest it on top of her hair. "See you around, Shorty."

'Bye, Jerk,' she gives me one last squeeze before stepping back, her blush still red and existent. I give her one last smile before heading out, my thoughts jumbled. Why do you do this to me, Link?

-Link's POV-

My face is still warm long after Sheik leaves. Why did I hug him? I've wanted to thank him for a long time now, but I didn't think I'd thank him like that. I'm so weird. I wipe some of the mud off the back of my breeches just to bump into someone else and slip back. Luckily the person grabs the front of my shirt and prevents me from falling.

"Heh, easy there. I've only just met you and I can already tell you're clumsy," Sonja laughs as I stand straight. "Well, come on," she puts her arm around my shoulders and walks me into the barn. "We need to get ready. Did you get what I asked for?"

I shake my head, I was coming back to ask where they were. "Doesn't matter, I guess. C'mon, you can help me saddle-up one of the horses here," she opens the barn door and I start to go to Epona, but she stops me. "You're mare's too big, she'll get too hot where we're going. You'll need to borrow one of these horses," she waves her hand towards said horses.

I go over to them, looking each one over. There are three that catch my eye. One is a grey, black maned stallion with a stubborn look to him, one is a simple brown gelding with a brown mane, he's munching on some hay, and the last is another brown horse, a mare this time, and she's turned away from me. I lock eyes with the stallion, and he lifts his head, taking it as a challenge. He stretches his neck over the stall door as far as he can, his ears back and his gaze hard. Not taking my eyes off of him, I put my hand out and walk towards him slowly, careful not to startle him. He startles me when he snaps forward, but I take my hand away and hit him on the nose lightly. He takes his head back, as if he's never been experienced that before. That's weird, that's what I did with Epona when she would act up when younger, it's why she never bites at me anymore. I had just hit her nose a few times, never that hard, and she quickly stopped. Guess the Ranch doesn't use that tactic.

The stallion snorts and nips at me again, I step out of his range and quickly grab the back of his mane, pulling his head down to my height, now I feel bad, and stroke my hand down his face. 'Calm down,' I think and his eyes soften a bit. I give a satisfied nod with a smirk. Works every time.

"Well, he's not what I would have chosen, but I guess he likes you," I turn to Sonja, who's arms are crossed as she leans on a post. "Well, here's his stuff," she passes the saddle to me. Where did she get it from?

Shaking my head, I turn and walk into the stallions stall. I get him ready and all the while I feel Sonja staring at the back of my head. When I turn, I see her leaning on the door of the stall, a creepy smile on her face. I smile back nervously, eyes shifting a bit. Why's she doing that? Her smile grows. "So, you love my cousin, don't you?" her smile grows even more when I feel my face heat up. I shake my head fast, of course I don't! We're just friends! But the inside of my chest tightens at that. Aren't we just friends? "I know that look in someone's eye when they find the one they love. Many times in fact," she jumps over the door and puts her hands on my shoulders. She's only a few inches taller than me, but she seems to be towering over me right now. "Come on, don't kid yourself. You love Sheik." It's not even a question.

I shake my head again, feeling my face become hotter. Her smile turns soft and she bends forward as if she's talking to a child. "Do you ever feel your heart twinge when you look at his face or eyes? Do you ever blush when you're with him? Ever feel like there's something tugging in your chest right here?" she puts her hand on my chest, thumping it lightly. I look down a bit as I think about it. Yeah…I've felt like that a few times. "And do you ever feel lighter than air when you hug him?" this makes my entire face heat up. I probably look like the sun burnt me right now. Sonja laughs lightly, ruffling my hair again. Will she stop that? "See?"

Stubbornly, I shake my head again. I don't love love Sheik. I love him more like the brother I never had. My heart hurts so much thinking that. What?

"Fine. I obviously can't make you see what only you can feel," Sonja sighs. I smile, grateful that she let it slide so quickly. "Alright, that aside. Let's get going!" she cheers and back flips over the stall door. Dame, that's awesome! I mount the stallion, he tries to nip at my backside, but luckily I can still sit down without pain. Once we check for everything we need, we head out.

As I follow Sonja, I find that she can't go five minutes without talking. She rambles on about everything, from what she was taught about history, her fighting skills, to her and Sheik always being with each other when they were younger. Apparently, she liked to pull pranks on Sheik, and she had even managed to scare him once. I laugh in my head at that. If someone can make the stoic Sheik scared, they deserve to have the black-rank.

Speaking of which, Sonja explains a bit more about the ranking system, how you qualify for the ranks, what tasks you have to do, what ordeals you have to face. She went through a lot to get the black-rank. She had to survive in the desert for a week with only three days' worth of supplies, she had to master all the fighting skills before eighteen, she had to learn all healing and defensive spells, and she had to learn all but the most powerful offensive spells. I would not want her on my bad side. But despite all the things she's seen and all the skills she knows, she's fun to 'talk' to and she is easily the most easy-going person I have ever met. Heck, she's never once mentioned anything about me being mute, or being a Hylian. She's treating me like my closest friends already treat me, and it's like we had known each other since we were kids, or even younger.

Suddenly, she seems to remember something, as she stops talking and just stares at my face. I tilt my head at her, why's she looking at me like that? It's like she's trying to recognize me.

-Sonja's POV-

I'm in the middle of explaining advanced stealth skills I taught myself when I stop talking. Now that's I've seen her face a bit more, I can't help but feel like I know her. It's her eyes that get me, and her ears. I didn't notice at first, but it's obvious that she's Hylian, a full-blooded one too. Her eyes look so familiar, deep blue and wolf-like. Where have I seen those eyes before? It wasn't on her face, those eyes were on a man I believe, if my memory serves me right. I think I had been…three or four when I saw eyes like those before. But where…?

Link tilts her head, much like a dog would, and blinks a few times, as if waiting for me to say something. That's surprising, I haven't shut up since we left Lon Lon. I force a smile on my face, I think she can tell it's not very real, since she looks even more confused. "Sorry, lost my track of thought," I laugh. "It's just that…you're eyes are familiar." This makes the girl even more confused. "Anyway, we're almost at the Desert. From there, it should take us four days to get to the Sheikah. I must warn you, they don't take lightly to strangers, so you'll have to stick with me as close as you can. I don't think Sheik would like me to lose you," I joke. Her cheeks become light pink, but she laughs too. I smirk. She so likes Sheik.

We come to a bridge that stretches across a river far below, the river drains into Lake Hylia and across the bridge is an old settlement that used to belong to the Gerudo before they moved deeper into the desert they proclaimed as their own. Little did they know they were sharing it. "We can rest here for the night. It will be great shelter in case a storm comes during the night," I say as we dismount. We lead the horses into the run-down fortress and tie them up beside a water trough. I look around the fortress and grin when I find barrels of water. I push one over and roll it back to the horses to find Link gone. She's probably exploring.

I crack the lid off and pour the water into the trough. It's a little murky, but otherwise it's still good. Wait, that's not right. If the water is still drinkable, after hundreds of years, then does that mean…?

My eyes grow wide. I need to find Link. I don't think we're alone in this fortress after all.

-Link's POV-

As Sonja goes off, I guess to find water, I go the opposite way, curious about what's in this old fortress. I come across some old cells and wander into them, wonder why these are here. This place used to belong to the Gerudo, so maybe these were cells for intruders? I'm not an expert on the Gerudo. I only know a little from Nura. I walk out of the cell when a shiver goes down my spine and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It feels like something's watching me. I look around the room I'm in, but I can't see anybody. I keep wandering around the fortress, the uneasy feeling never once leaving me.

In my wandering, I come across a very large, very fancy room. I'm guessing this is where the leader of the Gerudo used to live. Curiosity getting me, like usual, I poke around the room, opening the drawers and wardrobe. I don't find many things, some dead bugs, the odd piece of clothing, and some jewels, but other than that, only a mahogany bed with red velvet covers is in here. Smirking, I run to the bed and jump up and down on it, messing up the pillows and covers. Once satisfied, I let myself fall back onto the bed. It's very comfy. Wonder why it's not eaten away like the wardrobe.

"It's a nice bed, isn't it?" the voice makes me sit up fast and I look around, eyes wide. The voice laughs. "You think you can find me? I've been following you since you entered this fortress, and you've never once spotted me. Not that you could. Humans can't see Poes, unless we want them to," the voice cackles as a Poe comes into view beside me. I jump away, but fall off the bed, groaning when my head hits the table beside it. The Poe laughs again, floating down to me. He's like the Poes I found when I was helping Jovoni, white, transparent and holding a scythe. His lantern is nowhere to be seen, which is why I couldn't find him. "So sorry to startle you, it is much my fault. I haven't had someone to prank in a good fifty years. Not since I was killed by that monster."

I raise an eyebrow. Monster? What's he talking about?

"There's a viscous beast here that still lives. It seems like an ordinary human, living off water and food, but it seems to be some sort of demon. It lurks in the shadows, undetected by the most cunning person. You must find it before it finds you, or you can kiss your life goodbye," the Poe laughs as I get to my feet. There's a demon here? Is it just something the Poe's calling it, or is it an actual Demon like Ghirahim? "Come, I can guide you around safely. I can't say the same for that other girl though. She should be fine, Demons are strange creatures. The go for the most vulnerable beings."

Vulnerable? How am I vulnerable? I have my sword and shield, as well as my other weapons. I can fight.

"That's not what I mean. Demons know a person's weakness, they can sense it without it being told to them. And all, and I really mean all, Demons know the one thing that scares you so much that you would rather jump off a cliff into an ice-cold river than confront it," the Poe laughs again at me as I freeze. "Well, we can't find that other girl if you just stand there. Come on, human," the Poe grabs my hand with his own cold one and pulls me along, going invisible as we exit the room. "So, keep your eyes peeled. The Demon could be anywhere."

I nod as I scan the hallway, making sure to look everywhere I can. We walk/float on in silence, the Poe still hasn't let go of my hand. I'm actually grateful for that, I don't want to lose the only thing that's helping me at the moment. Even if it is a Poe. A few minutes later, the fortress gets darker until I have to use my Twilight Sight to see. But even with my eyesight, I can't see very well. I suddenly bump into the invisible Poe. Guess he stopped. I look down the hall to see a figure standing there, they have shadowy black skin, grey diamonds and black hair. The Poe wasn't kidding, this is a Demon.

"I knew there were intruders in here," the Demon says, their voice soft and feminine. "My sister and I were living here with so much peace, away from all humans that wished to dissect us. But I now see we were wrong. Now two humans have come. My sister is going to deal with the girl. My job is to deal with the boy. The boy…the boy…" I shiver as she steps forward. Her voice is so cold and empty. What happened to her? I don't have time to wonder as she sprints at me, almost stiffly.

"C'mon, human! She's coming!" the Poe pulls me back and I run after him as he becomes visible, letting go of my hand. I hear heavy breathing behind me and try to pick up my pace, but soon find myself under the Demon. She's breathing into my ear, her breath biting cold.

"You're…the boy. My sister told me to find you, and I have. But now I see you, I see you're small. Almost like child," I struggle to get out from under her, but she flips me onto my back and pins my arms above my head, holding onto my wrists with only one hand. She brings her face close, as if trying to see something. "You…the boy…you will be a great offering," my ears fall. Offering? To what? She stands, grabbing my foot and drags me behind her. I try to grab something, but the stone is too smooth for me to get a grip, and I soon give up, crossing my arms over my chest childishly as I'm dragged away on my back. She could at least let me walk, couldn't she?

She enters another room, this time one with a door. I grab at the frame, but she ignores my hands and closes the door on them. I yelp and pull my hands back, stuffing them under my armpits as if to get rid of the pain. She tosses me forward and I skid across the floor until I slam into an altar of some sort. I start to get up, but the Demon grabs my shirt and puts me on the altar, strapping my arms and legs to it. What the heck?

"Sister, I have…the boy," I find it weird that she pauses before saying 'the boy'. Does she know I'm a girl?

Another Demon comes out, looking exactly like the one that brought me here, and she puts her hands on my face. I shiver a bit, they're really cold and clammy. She turns my head to each side before bringing her head down and licking my forehead. Ew. Okay, this is just getting creepy. "Fine offering, sister," she says, her voice is colder and even emptier than the first one. "Leave us, I will get the ceremony started."

Ceremony? I'm not gunna like this, am I? The first Demon leaves and the other one holds my face again. "You're the boy. You're a funny size, not many like you," she says, running her hand over my forehead. She grabs my ears and pulls, I flinch and pull my head back, but this only makes my ears hurt more. After that, she turns and leaves, leaving me in the darkened room. I move my wrists, trying to see if I can get out. Nothing. Goddess Dammit.

"Here we are," she comes back with a small candle. She grabs my left hand still and lowers the candle to it, her eyes shining when she sees the Triforce. "You are one. We will get much power from you," she says, grinning like a mad-woman. She tips the candle and my eyes widen as wax drips off. I grit my teeth when it lands on my hand, and the Demon's eyes shine more as she uses the wax to outline the mark. After that, she turns around and picks up some sort of item. When she turns around again, I see her holding a metal rod. I blink, what's so threatening about that?

My question is answered when she snaps her fingers and it instantly glows white-hot. My eyes widen as she brings it to my hand and lays it down the first line of wax. I can't help it, I scream as the smell of burning flesh, my _own_ burning flesh, reaches my nose. The Demon doesn't stop, or lift the rod off, she just turns it on my skin. There's a psychotic smile on her face as she continues 'working'. When she's finally finished, I'm only able to take in a few gasps of breath before she grabs a dagger. She puts it on my wrist and I look away as she brings it down. Luckily, the door explodes open and hits her away from me and into the opposite wall.

I open my eyes and smile gratefully at Sonja as she unties the straps and helps me off. We run from the Demon as the door bursts into flames and she runs after us. We round the corner to run into the other Demon, but Sonja just kicks her away and we keep running. I look behind us. A bad mistake. I see a wave of fire rushing at us, and I gasp as it draws closer. Sonja looks back too, but we both run into a dead end. We fall back and sit up, shaking our heads before getting up and turning towards the fire.

I look at Sonja from the corner of my eye nervously as the fire crawls towards us. "Don't worry, I can deal with this," she says, lifting her arms and making water swirl around her hands. I back away a step as she sends the water at the flames, burning them out and leaving a smoking, scorched trail in their place. Not wanting to waste time, we run off and eventually find the horses. We untie them and mount, this shelter isn't worth getting killed.

-Third POV-

The two Demon sisters smirk as the Poe flies over to them. All three of them laughing, the two Demons turn into Poes, their real selves. "Aw man! That was hilarious!" the first female Poe giggles. "I haven't had so much fun!"

"Offering, pff," the other female snickers. "That kid couldn't be worth half of a real offering. But that was fun outracing that funny mark on her hand."

"Funny mark?" the male Poe asks.

"Yeah, the boy/girl had this weird mark on her hand. It was just fun to outline. C'mon, race ya two to the Master Bedroom!" cackling with giddiness, the trio of Poes start to float to the bedroom.

-Link's POV-

I rub my burning hand the next morning, we had managed to find a small cave, and let out a quiet squeak when the burn vanishes, leaving nothing in its trace. My jaw drops. That was all a trick! That Poe must have put a healing spell along with the fire! Glaring at the cave wall, I get up and kick a rock, sending it flying out of the cave's mouth as the sun rises. Stupid! Bloody! Magic!

I can never get a break, can I?

Much later, I show my hand to Sonja, and she laughs loudly when she figures out it was a trick. "Should have figured! They must have seen us enter and wanted us to leave, so they tricked us!" I glare at her. S'not that funny. "Sorry, sorry. But look at the bright side! You're not hurt after all!" she doesn't stop laughing as we mount the horses. I just continue to glare as we leave the cave.

We travel through the desert, I feel the sun heating up the back of my neck a bit as we rest by an oasis. I splash the water on my face and smile as it refreshes me. Sonja's resting in one of the funny trees, hands behind her head. I kick the tree trunk and she looks down at me. She jumps down and lands in front of me like a cat. "Alright, let's get going. This was a nice pit stop, but if we waste too much time, we might not make it in good time."

I nod and we head toward the horses when Sonja stops suddenly, looking around. She looks up and I follow her gaze to see something falling. It hits the ground and we look at each other from the corner of our eyes, what in Hyrule?

The thing turns out not to be a thing, but a person. He looks like he's over thirty and is smaller than me, and that's saying something. He's wearing green clothing from head to toe and has some weird contraption on his back. He looks up at Sonja and me and his jaw drops when he sees me, for some reason. I shift from foot-to-foot when he just stares me up and down. "That hat, those clothes," he mutters, his voice is slightly pitchy and irritates my ears. "You're...a…" don't say hero, don't say hero, don't say he- "a Forest Fairy!" this catches me completely off guard. Did he just call me a fairy?

I'm pulled forward when he shakes my hand quickly and introduces himself as 'Tingle.' Tingle then goes on in explaining that he's a thirty five-year-old man who's been wanting a fairy so much that he 'dresses up like one' and 'floats around with his balloon'. He also mentions that he sells maps and can decipher treasure charts. "If you need anything Mr. Fairy, don't hesitate to ask!" Tingle finally lets go of my hand, yeah, he didn't let go that entire time, and steps back. I just blink in response, shocked at this guy.

"Actually, Mr. Fairy here," I glare at Sonja, who's smirking gleefully, "can't ask. He has a throat infection," my glare hardens. I'm mute. Just tell the fairy fanatic already. "But could we have a map of the desert?"

"Of course! Anything for a friend of Mr. Fairy's," Tingle takes out a rolled up parchment and hands it out. "That will be two hundred and twenty Rupees."

Both of our eyes go wide. That's an insane amount of Rupees for just a map. "Um, on second thought, I think we'll be fine," Sonja says.

"Okay! Tingle will be on his way! I suggest you find shelter soon, there's a sandstorm on its way," he says, turning and, somehow, a big, red balloon inflates out of the thing on his back and he floats back up. I blink slowly, what just happened?

After five minutes of trying to understand that encounter, Sonja speaks up, "So, Mr. Fairy," I narrow my eyes again, "we should listen to what he said. Sandstorms can some up unexpectedly and I can feel it too. C'mon," she says, mounting her horse. "Coming?"

Grumbling, I mount the grey stallion and we head out again, wanting to forget about being called "Mr. Fairy." How someone can think I'm a fairy is beyond me. He's shorter than I am! If Midna gets a hold of this, she'll never let it go.

-Later-

Like Tingle had said, a sandstorm is now keeping us in another cave we found. How come there are so many caves here? I shake the thought off, that's the least of our problems. Some of the sand makes its way into the cave and covers us with the gritty rocks. I lost count of how many times I've had to brush my hair out of sand. Sonja has an easier time with it, she just hides her hair in her shawl. Lucky. I shake some sand out of my hair again after starting the fire and lie down, trying to ignore the storm. "You're not used to the desert, are you?" Sonja asks. I look up at her to see her carving some sort of animal out of wood with a dagger. "How many times have you been here?"

I shrug, not much. I try to avoid it, since I don't know exactly how to survive in them. "You're from the forest area, right?" I nod. "That explains it. You probably know more about forest survival. It won't be too bad as long as you listen to what I say."

Yawning, I look out of the cave's mouth before turning onto my stomach and using my arms as a pillow. Soon, I fall asleep, despite the storm.

-Sonja's POV-

I raise an eyebrow. Somebody get this girl a prize, I've never seen someone fall asleep that fast. I laugh, this kid is something else. I get up and walk to the cave's mouth, staring off into the storm. I hope the Tribe isn't too harsh when I take her to them. And I really hope she doesn't get separated from me. There's no telling what my people will do if they find a stranger in their home.

I'm thinking too much about them. Everything will be fine. It's not like they're following us, I would have sensed them if they had.

-The Next Morning, Link's POV-

I jump awake, the beast from my nightmare lingering on my mind. That thing needs a name, I can't keep calling it the beast. Hmm…I'll name it Turkey. I smirk in amusement, I come up with such stupid names for things, mostly things that can kill me in one hit. It's weird. I get up and stretch, looking out of the cave to see the sandstorm has died. I walk out of the cave and smile as the sun rises over the dunes. It looks so big, like it's trying to stretch around Hyrule. I walk over a dune and sit down, enjoying the sunrise. I haven't had a moment's peace for a while it seems. This is the perfect time to relax.

The sound of hooves alerts me that I'm not alone and I stand up fast to see someone running at me on a white stallion. Not trusting them, I take a step back before running away, but another person cuts me off, rearing up their black mare. I throw my arms over my head and run to the right, only to get kicked back into the sand. I get up and turn in a slow circle. I'm surrounded. All of them are men, and they laugh as I look for a way to escape. "Will you look at that, what are you doing here, stranger? Lost?" one man dismounts his horse and I back up, but get kicked forward again by the man behind me. I hit the sand and struggle when the man steps on my back, pinning me. He crouches and brushes my hair out of my eyes, smirking. I glare at him. "We don't take kindly to strangers in our territory."

I do the only thing I can, I punch him in the face and while he's nursing his nose, I get up and run towards the rider-less horse. But something cold and metallic wraps around my chest, pinning my arms to my side, I'm pulled back, landing on my knees. I look down to see a chain-like whip is wrapped around me, it looks a lot like Sheik's-

My eyes widen as I look up into the face of the man I punched, his nose is bruised. The man has blackish-red eyes and brown hair, from what I can see under his shawl. He has a black bodysuit with a ripped white tunic over it. An eye with blood dripping down is on the front. These are the Sheikah! "My my my, trying to fight back? And striking a high-ranked Sheikah guard? That is worthy of a punishment, I think," the man grabs the front of my shirt and lifts he off my feet, bringing me close to his face. His eyes look me over and stop at my ears, going wide when he sees. "So we have a Hylian on our hands? Even better. Let's go!" he drops me and I start to get dragged back. I manage to get to my feet and try to fight back. I feel the chain tighten but ignore it, I need to get away!

Suddenly, I feel something hit the back of my head and everything goes black.

-Third POV-

Sonja wakes up feeling dread. She runs out of the cave and sneaks up the sand dune. When she looks over the top, she gasps. Link is surrounded by people of her Tribe, knocked out and chained. The captain snaps orders to the man who's holding the other end of the chain and he nods, tying his end to the back of his saddle. Sonja swears in her head. Link must have tried to fight back. She ducks behind the dune when she sees the captain turn his head. "Come, Osamu will want to know about this boy. And I'm sure Rosalie can find out any secrets he has."

Sonja risks looking over the hill again to see the horses rearing up and running towards the Sheikah Tribe, Link draped over the back of the second-in-command's horse. "F***!" Sonja yells when they are out of sight. _I need to tell Sheik!_ She thinks and sprints back to the horses, who are stomping the ground. Wordlessly, worry filling her, Sonja mounts her horse and clicks her tongue. The grey stallion Link rode follows behind her as she leaves the cave and heads to the fortress and bridge._ Please be okay. Sheik is going to have a hissy fit when I tell him._

-Sheik's POV-

I'm pacing the room Zelda let me borrow as I run through my thoughts. How in Hyrule can one girl make me so confused? And why am I thinking about her so much? No matter what I do, I always end up thinking of her or Rosalie. I shake my head. "No, forget about her!" I hiss to myself. "She betrayed you, just like the rest of them!"

Suddenly the door bursts open, almost being thrown off its hinges. I turn, taking out my throwing knives, to see Sonja leaning on the frame, panting and exhausted. I don't even need to ask, but I do. "What's wrong?"

Sonja takes deep breaths as I help her sit in a chair, giving her some water. "I-it's Link, she-she was captured by the Tribe!" she gasps, leaning back in the chair. She came all the way from the desert?

I pinch the bridge of my nose, I knew it.

Well Link, it looks like I'm coming with you after all. Why do you cause me so much trouble?

Gery: Ha, Tingle! I couldn't resist throwing the fairy-lover in there. It was too good an opportunity ^_^. So yeah, there are more problems for our hero, and next chapter, we might actually learn a bit about the Sheikah! ;). Poor Link never gets a break, does s/he? See ya!


	18. Chapter 15

To Nekokitty13: Yes, yes she was ^_^.

To Shiro: Hahaha, I love Tingle. He's hilarious, with his little green suit and his big red balloon, he's certainly ready for Christmas:D! I had to throw something random into this, random stuff happens all the time in Zelda games. I'm glad you like it, and the wait is over!

To Lady Fai: Yeah, she's going to have a tough time with the Sheikah, personally I don't think they will have much patience, even if I wasn't kinda bringing them into the picture more. And questions shall be answered!

To Mihang: Hahaha, you never cease to make me laugh:). Oh, the fluffiness will proceed, and get deeper as time goes. Believe me, I have big, _big_ plans for the chapter after this ;). Oh Sheik, don't pretend you don't know what Mihang is talking about! You know perfectly well *Insert Chresuar Cat smile here*. I'm happy you like the Shink moments so much, my favorite part was when Sheik was cuddling Link like she was a Teddy bear and made her squeak ^_^. Oh, good, for a moment there I thought I was typing to a ghost. At least you're not dead! Whoa whoa whoa, stop shaking me! You'll find out who Rosalie is soon, I promise! Yeah, those Demons were very, very mean, but at least it wasn't real! I'm excited about Nura too, I think she's my favorite OC. And oddly enough, I like Alex too. Even if he is a bit of a jerk. It's fun writing his lines and making him act all stoic then be scared by a Deku Baba XD. Well…*dramatic pause* the wait is over! Enjoy!

To Zelda's Spirit93: 1) Yay! The more chapters, the better! And I always give a reason as to why something's amiss in my stories ;). Thank you, it wasn't my best chapter, but I think it passes as a high C+. I like the Wolfos, they're some of the only enemies that don't make me rage, and I feel bad for killing them sometimes, they sound so sad. 2) I loved, and I mean _loved_, writing this chapter. It was just so cute ^_^! The people are a mystery, and no spolies. And everyone seems to want to kill poor Link. But don't worry about it, all the questions shall be answered in time! Thank you! Guess I'm getting more experience at this. 3) That's nice :). I was trying to think of what would be a good Hallowe'en Special, what would be better than something scary? And she's not alone, she has Rusl who can help her, since he went through the same thing. Don't worry, I image the Hollow jumped off the bird after she dropped Link, and she probably got out with only a few injuries. You'll have to wait and see;). Don't worry, my brother was joking the other day that I should kill off Link, but it's not gunna happen. I have big plans for the future :D. 4) Nope, she's not dead. And I promise that you'll find out what happened to her this chapter and the next. I've been planning the next two chapters for a while now, and I'm excited to write them :). I love how enthusiastic you were about this, when I looked at my stories when I woke up on Friday, I was confused, thinking 'But I swear I only had fifty reviews showing…' then I looked at my Hotmail and bam! Four reviews! I never thought I would be saying 'fifty' so casually, since I couldn't predict how many people would like this. Well, this has been my longest reply ever, so you get a cookie! Hope you enjoy the rest of the chapters as much as you have!

Gery: Cookies for everypony! Looks like I'm alone today, the other three are off somewhere, probably trying to figure out how a computer works. They've wanted to know for a while, and since I'm bad with technology, they need someone else to help them. I don't own the Legend of Zelda, I do own the plot to this Fanfic and any OCs that you come across. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I wanted to give the Sheikah more of a spotlight, since the Zelda games only barely brush up on them and their people.

Chapter 15: The Sheikah Tribe

The middle-aged man whistles to himself as he walks through the market, the sounds of the morning hustle filling the air. A large fountain stands in the middle of the market, the Sheikah symbol carved above. Two young boys are running around, kicking a ball around as a tan furred dog bounds around them, barking. One of the young boys trip on a loose piece of stone and the man catches him, chuckling warmly as the boy thanks him. "No problem, son. Just be more careful next time," his black eyes fill with merriment as the two boys continue to play, enjoying the heat of the desert sun.

"Hello, Master Hitoshi!" a woman kneading bread waves her floured hand at the man. "I haven't seen you in some time. My son tells me you've just gotten back from your travels."

"It's true. I arrived a few weeks ago. My pupils have finished their training at the moment and I thought I would drop back in for a visit," Master Hitoshi smiles warmly as he walks up to the woman's stall.

"Ah, yes. How are your pupils? I suspect Sheik…?" she trails off.

Master Hitoshi sighs sadly, thinking of the boy. "Yes, he still hasn't quiet recovered from that day. I can tell it bothers him, but he won't talk about it. I'm afraid he's just too stubborn to say it, especially to someone who already knows what happened. He's a bright lad, but he is still young and inexperienced. It is of no matter now though, it's good for him to be away, and he's not alone. He has Sonja with him too."

The woman frowns, shaking her head. "The poor lad. I remember telling Naoko. He was so upset, he still hasn't recovered from losing his best friend. I do hope they both recover soon though, it's not healthy for them."

"Yes, but those boys are stubborn as mules. I need to get going, it was nice chatting with you!" Master Hitoshi waves and walks off, looking at the cloudless sky as the sun rises. His eyes fall to the palace, and harden. How he despises that place.

Suddenly, the sound of the guards coming makes Master Hitoshi look at the entrance of the city where the men come in. Master Hitoshi is not the first or only person to see what is lying over the back of the second-in-command's horse. It's a young boy, possibly in his last teens, although it's hard to tell. From what Master Hitoshi can see, the boy has dirty blonde or light brown hair, which is darker due to sand and dirt. The boy is badly sunburnt, and his clothes are ripped and torn. He had obviously tried to fight back. A big mistake on his part.

But none of these features are what makes this boy stand out.

The pointed ears on his head tell everyone, even the three-year-old girl hanging onto her mother's dress, that this boy is a Hylian.

The guards dismount their horses and the second-in-command lets the Hylian fall off the horse as two other men pick the boy up by his arms and drag him forward. His head hangs as he's limply pulled along, and the guard captain smirks from under his helmet as he struts in front of the other guards, head held high. He steps onto the fountain's edge and the guards toss the Hylian to the ground, where he starts to stir. "You foolish boy," the Hylian looks up, wincing at his burns. Despite this and other possible injuries, he forces himself to his feet and glares at the guard captain. Master Hitoshi raises an eyebrow at this, this boy is both gutful and stupid. "You think you can trespass on our land and not face the consequences?"

"Ryuu, what is the meaning of this?" Master Hitoshi walks through the crow, making them move away from him. "Osamu won't be pleased if you put this intruder on the spot in front of everyone before you present this creature to him," he sends a look at the boy, telling him he's sorry. The boy just looks confused about what's going on.

"Hm, I suppose you're right, Hitoshi. Very well. Go back to your business, this _creature_ is of no importance," Ryuu says, stressing the word 'creature', and the crowd starts moving. Master Hitoshi grabs the boy's arm roughly. He tries to struggle away, but Hitoshi pulls him along.

"Stop struggling. It will only cause more harm than good," Hitoshi whispers to the boy. "Now, do exactly as I tell you and stay calm. Showing any kind of weakness could be the last thing you ever do." The boy's eyebrows furrow but he nods. "These men will take you to The Emperor, as he likes to be called. His name is Osamu, and he does not like anyone, especially Hylians, disrespecting him. When he sees you, keep your head low and do as he says."

The boy nods again and the guards come and take him, shoving him roughly towards the palace. He looks over his shoulder at Hitoshi and the man gives a nod of goodbye before disappearing into the crowd.

-Link's POV-

What a nice man. I look around the desert city, feeling the eyes of everyone burning into my back. Why are they staring? I might look a bit messy, but it's not like I'm something to gawk at. The guard, apparently named Ryuu, turns to me. I really hate that smirk. "It's been awhile since we have seen a Hylian wandering around, let alone a full-blood," he pulls my left ear, making me grit my teeth. Do I need ta smack somebody? I think he can tell that I'm pissed off right now, 'cause his smirk grows. "Now now, I would keep that temper you have. Alright, we've stalled long enough. The Emperor won't like to be kept waiting."

And they continue to drag me through the City of the Sheikah, although, I'm not sure of the actual name of it. It feels so weird to be stared at like this, the last time this happened, I was just entering Hyrule Castle Town, and the same thing happened, only, I wasn't being dragged around like a ragdoll in Castle Town.

As I'm dragged, Ryuu won't shut up about how proud Osamu will be, how he will treat me, and that Rosalie, whoever that is, will find my weaknesses and darkest secrets. I really, really hope she doesn't. Wait…Rosalie? I swear I've heard that name before. Not constantly, maybe once or twice, but from where? I close my eyes to try and recall where or when I heard that name. I remember it being mumbled by someone before, but from who?

I'm taken out of my thoughts when I realize we're in the palace, right before large doors. Wow, I space out at the worst possible times. "I will go see Osamu," Ryuu says and goes through the doors. I gulp, why in Hyrule are these guys taking me to their Emperor? I know I tried to fight back, but are they really going to punish me for just showing up in their desert? That seems a little harsh. Besides, they attacked me first! I was just doing it in self-defence. But these guys probably aren't gunna listen to reason.

The doors suddenly open and Ryuu smirks down at me. "Emperor Osamu will see you," he turns and I'm dragged into the room. A man sits on a silver throne that's polished so that it looks like a mirror, tapestries of Sheikah hang around the room, and one particular tapestry catches my eye, it looks like a man is kneeling in front of a Sheikah, who is whipping him. It unnerves me, why would they have this hanging around? On closer inspection, I see that the man being whipped is a Hylian. I gulp, my ears twitching, I don't like what that's showing. The two guards holding me throw me forward and I hit the floor with a soft grunt.

"So you are the trespasser?" I look up for a second to see a Sheikah man with blonde hair and crimson red eyes. I remember what the man in the market said and I quickly lower my head, feeling his gaze burn into the top of my head. "Lift your head," I do as he says, making sure not to look him in the eye. "Hum…this is not what I expected when Ryuu said that there was a trespasser, who had tried to fight back and was a Hylian. I expected you to be…taller," he grins, as if amused. I try not to scowl, I know this man can do whatever he wants with me, and I don't want to get on his bad side. "Now, why were you in the desert?" I look down a bit, trying to think of how I can explain I'm looking for a Sage.

One of the guards comes and kicks me in the head, making my head ring annoyingly as the shapes of everyone flip. I shake my head and feel a foot on my back. "Answer me now. Why were you trespassing?!" Osamu pushes his foot down on my back and I gulp, this isn't going well. I hear an angry growl from Osamu and feel something cold touch the back of my neck. My eyes widen, he's pointing a sword at me! I close my eyes and tap my throat quickly, hoping it gets across to them I can't speak. "So we have a mute on our hands?" he lifts the sword off and bends down, lifting my head by my ear, making me grit my teeth. "Fine. Ryuu, go get Rosalie, I'm sure she can find out all we need from this one," the Emperor orders as he lets my head drop. The guard captain goes off as Osamu sits back down on his throne, his eyes locked on me. "We'll soon know all your secrets," he smirks.

I can't help but wonder how, when Ryuu comes back with a woman behind him. She has long, midnight black hair that looks kinda blue in the light, it reaches her mid-back. She has soft, rose petal red eyes and her skin is pale with a slight tan. She's beautiful, I can see lots of Sheikah guys fawning over her. She swings her hips as she walks and she bows to Osamu. Personally, I it looks like she has something up her butt.

"What do you wish of me, Master?" she asks, her voice is rich.

"You see this boy?" Osamu nods to me and the girl looks at me, not impressed. "He is mute, and we need to find out what he knows. Do you mind…?" he gestures a hand to me, a smile forming on his face.

"Of course, Master," the girl, who I assume is Rosalie, says and walks towards me, locking her eyes with mine.

At first I'm confused, wondering what in Hyrule she's doing, when I feel a headache pound my skull. It's like someone's trying to rake their way through my mind, and it's really hurting my head. I try to close my eyes, to try and make the pain go away, but I find I can't close my eyes, or look away for that matter. What is this girl doing? Why can't I look away from her eyes? It's like she's keeping me in place-

Wait…crap! She's reading my mind!

I start to struggle, my eyes going wider and starting to sting from not blinking. She smirks, obviously hearing or seeing something she likes. After five, hour-like minutes, she lets her gaze drop and I let myself fall to the floor, exhausted. My mind hurts so much, it hasn't hurt this much since I found out I could 'talk' to someone. That someone being an Imp I didn't like at the time. "Hm, interesting," she lifts my head and looks into my face, her smirk widening.

"Well? What did you find, Rosalie?" Osamu asks, hands folded in front of him.

Rosalie's eyes flash scarlet as she stands and turns to Osamu, looking pleased. "I have learned two, very important things about this Hylian. For one, his greatest fear is, believe it or not, magic-" All the Sheikah in the room laugh at this and I gulp, I already know this isn't good. "-And secondly, he's has an alliance with Sheik," Osamu's eyes flash with anger at the mention of Sheik's name. What in Hyrule…? And why didn't she tell them I'm a girl? Surly that would have been the first thing she found when looking through my mind.

Without a second thought, Osamu waves his hands. "Take this creature to the dungeons," my eyes widen in shock as the guards grab my arms again. I look at Osamu, confused. What's going on? "And make sure this Hylian intruder is dealt with. I intrust that to you, Rosalie."

"Of course, Master Osamu," Rosalie smiles, her voice overly-sweet, and gives me a piercing look as I'm taken away. She looks as if she's…angry and…I'm not sure what that other look is, annoyance maybe? I don't have a clue. What's her problem? But I can't worry about that now, I've got a date with some rats…

'How did I know there would be rats?' I think, irritated as the guards drag me through the dungeons, I can hear the squeaks from the rats from here. I glance up at the guards, they don't seem too tough. Maybe I can kick 'em where it hurts and get outta here. I smirk at the thought. It's worth a try. I send a swift kick at the groin of the guard on my left, making him fall to the stone floor. The other guard growls and pins me to his chest, lifting me off my feet. I kick my feet back and hit this guard where it don't shine. He drops me and I make a run for it when Rosalie slips in front of me. I pivot on my foot and try to run, but she grabs the back of my collar and lifts me up. I try to struggle free, but she just laughs.

"You're foolish. Trying to escape your fate as if it were that easy. You won't be going anywhere, runt," she wraps her arm around my neck and starts pressing down, cutting off my air supply. I grab her arm and try to pull, but she just tightens her grasp. I feel her breathe into my ear and she whispers. "Hush now, I don't want to hurt you too badly…at the moment. There's someone I want to come and enjoy the show first," I shiver at her voice, which is suddenly cold as ice. She lets me drop and I gasp for air, bringing myself to my hands and knees. She steps on my left hand and I wince, trying my best to ignore the stinging. "Alright, I believe you have someplace to stay. I'm sure they have vacancy," she grabs my ear and pulls me along, I yelp as I'm forced to follow her as if I'm a kid who stool the last piece of pie. She pays no heed to the guards, who are picking themselves up. "Stay here, if he escapes, you will have time to know." they nod and salute her, standing at attention as she pulls me down further into the dungeons. When well my life give me a break?

Rosalie tosses me into the cell and I bang my head on the wall, seeing stars and the blurred image of the Sheikah. She chains my wrists to the wall above my head and grabs my face in her hand, smirking again. "Heh, you know, you're kinda cute. Like a puppy, almost," she squeezes my face. "Your face does sorta look like a girl's, but I guess no one really notices since you're so flat," I blush at that, that's just mean and embarrassing. But I guess this means that she does know I'm a girl.

She laughs in my face, grabbing my bangs and pulling my face closer. "You didn't think I was a moron, did you? My Master may be a ruler, and he may be wise, but he is very unobservant at times, and becomes close minded when a Hylian is involved," she pulls my ear again. I grit my teeth, jerking forward to head butt her. She stumbles back, rubbing her now red forehead. Ha! Nobody expects a head butt! I can't help but smirk as she glares at me. She grabs the front of my tunic and lifts me up, making my arms hurt as they're attached to the wall. "That was not a smart move. Do you realize how much I have found out about you through your mind? I know your greatest fears," she lets go with one hand and creates a small fire in it, I gulp. "And I know your darkest secrets. I will be back later, starving usually loosens people up. And just remember this," her hands tighten and her face becomes dangerously dark as she brings her face to my ear, "Sheik is mine."

And with that, she drops me and slams the cell door behind her. I breathe heavily as my heart slows down. What was that about? What does she mean by "Sheik is mine"? Why should it involve me?

'Ugh,' I shake my pounding head, letting it rest on the wall. 'Why did they lock me up? Just because I'm Hylian? Because I know Sheik? Or is there more to that? Gah! Why do other customs have to make me so confused! I still don't remember all the customs to Hyrule Castle, and I've been living there the past three months for Din's Sake!'

Groaning, I close my eyes, letting out a sigh. I hope Sonja's alright. Did she get captured by the Sheikah too? Or did she go and get help?

"_There's someone I want to come and enjoy the show first_," Rosalie's face flashes in my mind's eye. What does she mean? Is someone coming to help me? Does she know who exactly they are? Or is she bluffing? She seemed pretty serious, but that could just be her normal voice. I gotta say, for someone who looks at good as she does, she sure has a sour attitude.

"_Sheik is mine_," I blink, even more confused than this morning. Why would she say that? Sheik and me are friends, what's so bad about that?

'And here's that weird feeling again,' I look down, frowning. 'Why do I always think of him?' Memories run through my mind quickly, the first time I saw him as a wolf, when we met in the Fire Temple, how we told each other our fears, how he saved me more than once, how I wake up so often in his arms, how he helped me become human again, and lastly of the night we danced and we…we got closer…he almost took off my mask and in the heat of the dance…I come out of my memories, feeling my face burning. Is it a good thing or bad thing that I got sunburnt? I gulp, Sheik…why have you helped me so much? I'm just an Ordonian…sorta…kinda…okay I don't know what I am exactly. I'm a Hylian, big whoop.

I feel my eyes water a bit. It is a big deal to some people that I'm Hylian, for all I know, I'm the last one. Zelda's only half-Hylian, she told me her mum was a Hyrulian. I didn't even know I was a full-blooded Hylian until I stayed at Hyrule Castle the first week after I fought Ganondork.

-Flashback-

**Me and Zelda had been in her study, it was still dark and I remember being tired…as usual…**

'Gaaah, why're we doin' this so early?' I yawned, lying my head down on the desk. 'The sun hasn't even risen yet.'

"Stop complaining," Zelda said, not looking up from her book. "I need to look up something…here we go!" she pushed the book towards me and I sat up, blinking dully. It was just some ordinary book, nothing that special. "Link, can you read what it says?" I looked at Zelda questionably, but shrug and take the book, looking at the page.

'_The land of Hyrule is a very ancient, very mysterious land. The creation of this land is still not fully understood, as all we gather from our ancestors is that the three Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore, created the land with their power, wisdom and courage. There is said to be a fourth Goddess, who fought in a war that is traced back before even Hyrule was founded. We as Hyrulians have much to discover, but we are growing worried. The race of mystic people, otherwise known as Hylians, is decreasing. The reason why is unknown, but many say that it has to do with the fact that people migrated from outside continues. When that happened, the new comers took over the land, taking its resources and forcing the Hylians to run, since when they tried to fight, they were called threats and were hurt more often. With no choice, the Hylians disappeared. After a hundred years, some ventured out of the place they come from and have traveled far and wide. These are thought to be the last Hylians. And because it was my own ancestors that had stripped everything from them, I am ashamed and apologize on their behalf_.'

'Ugh, my head hurts, all these weird squiggles are giving me a headache,' I complained, putting the book down and holding my head.

"So you understood it," I looked at Zelda, who was smiling sadly. "As I thought. Link, you know you are part of the Hylian race, right?"

'Yep,' I nodded, not seeing the big deal. I knew our race is dying, but there's not much we can do about it.

**At the time I had thought all full-blooded Hylians were extinct, but then Zelda had me read some more texts, and she had me drink this awful potion. I can still feel the taste on my tongue sometimes…**

"Link…I can only barely understand this text. It's written in Ancient Hylian, and I have some trouble with it. And the potion I gave you is tasteless to anyone who has Hyrulian blood in them. I had thought this when I first saw you as a human last week, but now I know," she looked up, she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Link…you could be…the last Hylian."

**I hadn't known what she meant right away, I had been confused. Why in Hyrule was she saying that? She was a Hylian too! But…**

I blinked a few times after Zelda explained more, about how only her dad was Hylian, and how I was thought to be the last Hylian.

**That night, I had dreamed. No. I had had a nightmare, much unlike the ones I used to have. Instead of blurred images of possible future events, I saw fire, I could feel the fire. I felt smaller, and I was being carried by someone. When I looked up, I had seen the face of a woman, but all I could see was pointed ears. Seconds later, a man came into view, he was the same as the woman, and before I could say anything the flaming roof came down and…**

"Gaahhh!" I sat up in bed, eyes wide with panic and my sleeping tunic wet with sweat. I could feel my eyes stinging as I fought to keep from crying. I clenched the bed sheet like a lifeline, and soon Zelda came in.

"Link, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting down beside me. For the first time in years, I let tears fall down my face. Without speaking, Zelda guessed what happened. She pulled me into a hug and I let her.

**That had been the moment we became friends, real friends, and I cherish it. I wasn't the Hero of Twilight, I was Link. Just Link.**

-End of Flashback-

I open my eyes slowly, feeling something wet trickle down my face. I guess I fell asleep, and I must have dreamt of that day. I shake my head, wiping my eyes as best I can on my sleeve. That seems so long ago, yet at the same time, it feels like I only found out yesterday. I was still in shock for a few days, the nightmare repeating in my dreams every night, until it finally faded away after a month. I slept for three days after that.

The rattling sound of keys alerts me that someone is opening the cell and I look up to see Rosalie coming in, that smug look on her face again. "Hey, runt, did you have enough time to loosen up?" she asks, bending down and pinching my nose.

I fell asleep if that's what she means. She lets go of my nose and stands back, pulling out a whip I hadn't seen on her hip. I gulp, oh dear.

"Now, Master Osamu said I shouldn't give you any mercy," she holds the whip back and I shrink into the wall, trembling slightly. "And don't worry…I won't."

-Sheik's POV-

I grumble to myself as I pack, making sure I have enough knives and that I have my cloak. Why does Link always get in trouble? It's like she was born with an omen or something. And why the Din's Hell is it always up to me to save her? Somebody needs to tie her up with rope so she can't go anywhere. I hear something flutter and don't even look up. "You're coming too?" I ask, although I already know the answer.

"Of course, somebody needs to keep a closer eye on Link," she says. "Besides, I need to give her this if we have any chance in helping her out of there," she places a necklace with a stone of the Triforce on the bed, the three Spiritual Stones that I had read about engraved in their rightful places.

"What is this exactly?" I ask, I've never seen anything like it.

"It's the Kokiri Stone. The Deku Tree gave it to Link before the first Sage was woken."

"She's had it this whole time, huh?"

"Yes. Midna kept it with her when Link turned into a pup. I think it might help her out."

I put the stone into a small bag and toss that into a satchel that I pull over my head. I throw my cloak on and head out. Looks like I'm going home after all. I wonder if I can drop by Naoko's and see him again. It will probably be smart for me to do that anyway, they won't rat me out to the 'Emperor' and it will be good refuge for me to plan how to get Link out.

I walk out of Castle Town, I'll be doing this by foot, since the Sheikah know what Joyce looks like and any other horse would attract unwanted attention to me. My mind wanders as we travel, I sink back into the memories that still haunt me. The memories of being betrayed by my teachers, the memories of being out-shown by _her_, the memories of being forced to leave with only the clothes on my back, and the memoires of Sonja and my Master coming with me. I feel anger boil up inside me, I will not let them do that again. I'm not a weakling anymore, and I'm bettered trained now, so I can take on the Emperor and take back my place in my own home. And I will not let them hurt Link.

More memories, bad memories, come to mind. The thought of all those people who 'trespassed', the people who had their darkest secrets exposed by _her_, and had their deepest fears used against them. I feel my blood run cold at the thought of Link being hurt by magic. And if I know _her_, which I do, sadly, than I know she won't expose Link to be a girl. It's more fun for her to pick on 'boys' and use her 'charm' to bring them to their knees. But with Link hiding as a boy, she'll be even more cruel, since she's always hated other girls, thinking that they'd 'steal' me away from her.

Goddess do I hate her. She's the reason I'm banished in the first place.

"**You know, Sheik, Master won't be happy if he finds out you eavesdropped on him."**

"**I didn't eavesdrop, I was passing by when he yelled it out."**

"**You'll lose you know, you aren't brave nor strong enough to take him on."**

"**That doesn't matter. I'm going to take him on and free them!"**

"**Then I have no choice…Goodnight, Sheiky."**

I shake my head to make the thoughts go away. I look around to find that it's getting dark and that I'm in the middle of Hyrule Field, the red hills of the desert in sight. Wow, I've never walked this fast in my life.

I hear panting and turn my head to see Navi land on my shoulder, exhausted for some reason. "You can run fast when you want to," she says.

Run? I ran all the way from Castle Town? That would explain why my legs are burning at the moment. I guess I'm more worried about Link than I thought. "I didn't realize I was running," I say, going towards the only tree and jumping up into it. "We'll continue in the morning. If we time it right, we should get there just as it's turning dark."

"Sounds like a plan," the fairy flies into the tree trunk as I lean back on it, eyes closing.

I hope you're alright Link, I know what kind of things those monsters do.

-The Next Morning-

We set out early, even before the sun has fully risen, and we pass by the old Fortress. Sonja warned me of the Poes in there, and I'd rather not deal with the ghosts, I have more important things to worry about. I can't help but smile to myself as I return to the desert, feeling the sand sink under my feet. It's been so long, and I can never forget how much I love this place. I'm not even at the City yet and already I feel at home. I pull the hood on my cloak up more, making sure not to get burnt by the sun. Link will probably be burnt, since she's a bit too pale for the desert sun hitting her for long. Guess that's the price for living in the forest most of your life.

Throughout the day, I explain some of the customs of the Sheikah to Navi, in case she finds Link first and needs to tell the girl about them. The time flies by and I soon find myself on a hill overlooking the walls of the grand city, the sun setting behind it. The sandstone walls are as strong as ever, and the towers reach so high they look as if they're trying to reach to the heavens, and even from here I can see a few Sheikah heading back into the walls with herds of sheep, goats and the odd Cucco.

I walk down the hill, causally heading towards the city. I look up at the walls, Sheikah guards are patrolling the battlements, luckily they don't pay me any heed, since my cloak is undone enough for them to see my garb. Looking around, I find nothing has really changed, some are still selling things such as fruit that they searched far to find, people are still loud and talkative, shoving their way through the crowds and pushing to get what they want. The next stall to catch my eye is a small one, which is connected to a house like most stalls. Above the stall is a sign, the words _Penny's Baked Bread_ written on with a drawing of a steaming loaf of bread. I hope they don't freak out about my sudden appearance.

Walking to the stall, I keep my head down so no one can notice me and when I come to the stall, I listen in on the two men in front of me. "Hey, did you hear about what they have up at the palace? A Hylian! I tell you, we haven't seen any of them outside of the coliseum!" one man laughs, thumping the other on the shoulder.

"I heard, they say he tried to fight back after he punched Ryuu! The idiot boy, trespassing then he hits a man who did nothing to him!"

"I was told that it took six minutes for Rosalie to look into his thoughts. That's the longest anyone has ever lasted. That boy must have strong mental barriers."

"Well, one of my buddies up at the palace said that he's mute, so that might help a bit. But guess what? He's scared of magic!" the man chortles. "Can you believe it? A Hylian fearing magic! Those guys are filled with the stuff! He's got to have some in him, how do you think it took so long for Rosalie to get anything? Someone should tell him, just to see what would happen!"

"That's nothing compared to the other thing Rosalie found! Apparently he's working with Sheik!" I pull the hood around me more, trying to look nonchalant. "Hey lad, did you hear about the kid?" he turns his question to me and I look up, making sure my face is shrouded.

"No, I only just got back from the desert. What about this kid?"

"There are many rumors surrounding him. And he's a shrimp! Seriously, I'd say that kid is, what? Five feet nothing?"

"Naw, I'd say he was less than even that!" the other man smirks.

"Here's your bread," Penny comes up, putting the fresh loafs on the counter. "That will be twenty Rupees each."

I raise an eyebrow at that, she lowered the price since last time, before it was thirty. Why'd she change it? The two men leave and I walk up to the counter. "And what will you have-?" I cut her off by letting her see my face, she gasps. "What are you doing here? If someone finds out-!"

"I know, but I need someplace to stay."

"Okay. Go around the back. The door's unlocked and Naoko is in his room. It's good to see you again," she whispers the last part and I nod, sneaking around the back unnoticed by the other customers. I open the door and look into the dark house, it's so quiet compared to outside. Perfect, so nothing has changed here as much as I thought it would. Smiling, I go up the stairs to see a door open a crack, candle light coming out of the small opening. I silently walk to the door and look in, seeing the back of my long-time friend. Opening the door, I lean on the wall beside it with my arms crossed, a smirk on my face when I see he's working on something.

"You're still the tinkerer I knew when I left," I say, making him jump and fall out of the chair. He picks himself up as he stares at me in disbelief. After a few moments of silence, my smirk grows. "Two and a half years and this is my welcome?"

"S-Sheik? W-what in Hyrule are you doing here?" Naoko asks, brushing off some dust.

"You sound disappointed that I'm here," I let my arms drop as he shakes his head.

"No, it's not that. It's dangerous here for you. What if the guards find you? What if someone else recognizes you?"

"That hasn't happened yet. Besides, I need your help. That's why I'm here."

"What do you need?" Naoko asks, sitting back down to tinker with a small, robot-like thing that looks dead.

I walk over and pull up a chair beside him, looking at the robot. "I'm assuming you know about the Hylian that was captured?"

"Well, yeah. I may be an indoors person, but I do hear what goes on around here," the silver haired boy says, fitting a small screw into the robot's arm. "What about him?"

"He's my friend, and I need to get him out of there," I explain.

"You know it's impossible, right? No one's ever escaped from that place. And what are you going to do to save him? Scale the wall?" he rolls his eyes sarcastically.

"I haven't exactly thought of that yet. I was thinking you could help me, since you know the secret passages in the palace."

"I haven't been in there for three years, I can't remember everything."

"Don't you have the map?"

"It was taken by a guard the day you were exiled. But it won't matter if you can or can't get into the dungeons, where the kid will probably be now, if you get caught. Be careful, not everyone believes Hitoshi," Naoko warns.

"Oh I know," I say bitterly, curiosity about the robot getting the better of me. "What are you working on now?"

"It's some sort of old machine. I found it in the desert a few months ago and haven't quite figured out what it is yet. It doesn't really matter anyway, it's interesting to look at it. Anyway, how have you been?"

"Fine. I've been helping the boy who got captured find some people."

"What kind of people?"

"…Would you believe me if I told you he's looking for the current Sages?"

"Why would he be looking for the Sages? And what's his name anyway?"

I look around, making sure no one's listening in. "Link," I whisper, his eyes go wide.

"Link? As in, the guy who keeps getting reborn Link?"

"Yes," I nod.

"Wow, poor guy. Rosalie probably didn't tell Osamu, if she had, then the kid would be let out."

"What has she got to gain for keeping it to herself?" Navi flies out, making Naoko fall off the chair again.

Coming out of the shock, Naoko puts his hand on his chin, frowning as he thinks. He soon gulps. "Uh-oh. Sheik, I think Rosalie might be using Link as bait to get to you."

That sounds like something she would do. I might need more help then I originally thought. "I see. Rosalie looked into Link's thoughts, which means she knows I'm helping him. She probably knew I would try and help him, so she's most likely waiting for me to just slide on in. If I have any chance at getting Link out of there, I'll need Master's help."

"Hitoshi stopped by earlier yesterday before the Hylian came. I saw from the window that your Master helped the kid when he first got here. He probably told Link about the 'Emperor'."

"He's still calling himself that, is he?" I ask, rolling my eyes. I'm not really surprised.

"Yes, but I think he's starting to go insane."

"That's the last thing we need. Alright, do you mind if I stay for the night? Master Hitoshi is usually outside the city at this time."

"Sure, there's a spare cot in the room you used to sleep in," he gets up and gives me a brotherly hug. "It's been too long."

"Yeah," I agree, hugging him back. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You're going to sleep already?"

"I ran all day yesterday to get here," I shrug and head to the familiar room. As I lie down in bed, I think of Link. I really hope they're not using magic on her. My fist clenches, if they have, there's going to be Din's Hell to pay.

-Link's POV-

I pant heavily as Rosalie steps back, looking a bit pale but otherwise proud of what she's done. From where I am on the cold floor, I force my eyes open to see my skin scorched from boiling water, every part of me covered in various bruises and cuts, my back still throbs from the whip yesterday and the small electrical charges she sent at me haven't helped any of my injuries heal. I feel a hand on my chin and my head is painfully lifted up by Rosalie, I can only see her blurred face through half shut eyes. She giggles, stroking my hair with her other hand. "I think I did well, don't you? All that magic has finally broken you, and I can tell from the look in your eye that you fear me," she smiles cruelly and I try to move, but my body screams. She lets my head fall back down and I don't even feel the slight pain compared to my other injuries.

"Such a brave, brave hero you are," she mocks, cracking the whip at me and hitting my back, making me wince violently, "Afraid of magic. Ha! You're afraid of an essence that is within your very blood and being," despite the pain, I lift my head to look at her. I know I have magic in me. I've known for a long time now. But I can't use it. I've never had a reason to. Zelda told me I have a bit of magic, but not a whole lot, so I don't have to worry about it. "But of course that doesn't matter to you. So, how long do you think you can last before you're completely broken?" she asks, whipping my back again. My hands clench into fists and I bite my lip, making it bleed.

"Fine, another shock for you," she raises her hand and sends yellow lightning out of her hands, making me twitch and jerk around on the floor. I open my mouth to scream, but my throat has been rubbed raw from all the screaming that came from me. When she finally lifts the lightning, she pushes me onto my back, and I cringe at my stinging wounds. "Let's clean those, shall we?" and once again, scorching water sprays over my body and leaves burns.

"Rosalie?" the door opens and a guard comes in, paying me no head as he steps on me to stand in front of the Rosalie. "Your Master wishes to speak with you. He senses that _he_ is back," he informs.

Rosalie smiles that overly-sweet smile and nods. "Thank you. I will see Master in a bit. You may go," she says and the guard steps on me again, worsening my injuries and reopening the cuts on my back from the whipping I got yesterday. "I'll see you later, runt," Rosalie drags me over to the wall and chains me up again. Before she goes, she kicks me in the gut, making me gasp and wheeze.

'I think I hate her,' I think bitterly and look up, tears form in my eyes as the pain starts to set in again. I don't think I'll be able to take much more of this, if Rosalie continues doing this every day, I'll be dead by the end of the week. 'Who's here? Is it Sheik? No, he said he wouldn't come here. I don't want him to remember obvious bad memories from this place. Why would he risk himself for me?

Even if it is Sheik, how can he get me out? I'm so deep in the dungeons, and I doubt he remembers this place, he probably doesn't want to. I hear a squeak and I painfully lift my head to see a grey rat sniffing my leg, its whiskers tickle my skin that it can feel through the cuts in my breeches. I smile fondly at it as it climbs onto my leg and up my body. It stands on my chest and nibbles my nose gently, making me laugh quietly, despite the pain in my ribs. It climbs up onto my head and I feel it curl up, as if it's trying to comfort me. Yay, I made a friend in prison! Its name will be Rouge.

I laugh to myself, a louder laugh this time. It echoes off the walls and makes it sound like I've gone crazy in here. This just makes me laugh harder. Soon my ribs hurt too much and I take deep breaths to calm myself down. Man, I must be exhausted if I'm laughing about making a rat friend in a cell. My smile fades not long after I calm down and I my eyelids feel heavy. I guess there's nothing I can do but sleep. 'Good night, Rouge,' I think, yawning a bit before letting my head sag.

-The Next Morning, Sheik's POV-

With a last goodbye to Naoko and Penny, I leave the house and look out of the alley, pleased to see that not many people are out yet. I look around, checking my mental map to see if I can remember where Master Hitoshi lives. I've tried to forget this place so often so I can't quiet remember, but I know I've only visited Master Hitoshi's home maybe five times in total, on different occasions. I start to wander, knowing that when I see it I'll know. I smile again, even though I know Link's in trouble. I can't get over the fact that I'm back home, nobody has recognized me yet, and everything is the same, the only thing that's different is the money. Penny told me that Osamu has raised the tax rate, so she needs to lower her prices so people can buy her bread. It's the same with all the merchants.

If only he hadn't cheated the real ruler out of his place, then none of this would have happened.

_But if that hadn't happened, you wouldn't have met Link_, the nasty voice in the back of my head says. I simply ignore it, even though I feel that it's right. If I hadn't left the Sheikah, I wouldn't have met the Shorty. For some reason, that makes me feel sadder than it should.

People start to open their shutters to the desert morning, everything is still sandy, so there was a recent sandstorm here. They come so often in the late fall and winter, it's like the opposite of a snow storm for the rest of Hyrule. I wonder if Link ever got snow in Ordon, I believe it's a bit warmer and wetter than the other Provinces, so it rains a lot in the winter.

And there are my thoughts back on the Shorty. It's like when I spent hours thinking of _her_ when I was younger. But it's much stronger now. I might not think of her every moment, but I think of her more often. Funny how things from the past happen again in the future, only with different people.

I'm taken out of my thoughts when I find myself walking down an alley, one that I'm familiar with. Good, I hope Master can help. By the sounds of it, he already helped Link by telling her about Osamu. I walk until I spot the old house, it's still standing, and everything seems to have been kept the same as before. Smiling, I go to the door and knock, waiting patiently as I hear footsteps coming. Master Hitoshi opens the door, he has a few more wrinkles than I remember and his hair is thinning, but he seems to have not changed a whole lot. He opens his mouth to speak, but I pull down the hood and his eyes grow wide before he grabs my arm and pulls me into the house, slamming and locking the door behind him. "What a welcome," I say sarcastically.

He ignores my sarcasm. "Sheik, what in Din's Hell are you doing here?" he asks. "If the guards catch you-"

"I know, but that doesn't matter right now. Master, I need your help. You know the Hylian you helped the other day?" he nods. "I know him. He's a close friend to me and I need to get him out of there."

He sighs solemnly, sitting down in a chair and looking like he aged ten years. "Do you know what you're saying? You're going to risk yourself for this boy?"

"H…We're very close. We've been through a lot over the past few weeks," I try to keep my face from turning red.

"…That Hylian is a girl, isn't she?" I blink in surprise, although I shouldn't be shocked, it is Hitoshi after all. "I'm taking that as a yes. I see why Rosalie didn't tell anyone. Over the past three years she's become insane when another girl shows up to be a potential threat. I guess she thinks that she can get away with more with everyone thinking that girl's a boy."

"Rosalie," I growl, clenching my fists. "Master, I need to get in there and save my friend. She's in serious trouble."

"I know, but what do you plan to do to save her? You can't just recklessly run in there and hope for the best."

"That's why I need your help. Will you help me?"

Master sighs, rubbing his forehead. "What can I do? Osamu will have my head on a silver platter if I try to oppose him. I'm already on his hit list for taking your side over his."

"Couldn't you distract the guards? Saying that there's something suspicious at the oasis? When the coast is clear, I could sneak in and you can lead me to the dungeons."

"It's a bold plan Sheik, a bold and foolish one. How do you expect the guards to be so gullible?"

"They believe Osamu's slander." Master looks at me, clearly seeing my determination.

"…Why are you risking so much for this girl?"

I look down, time to spill the beans. "Master…that girl's name is Link," I see his eyes widen.

"Link?" he asks, looking shocked. I nod. "Oh dear. If Osamu finds out who she is…" Master trails off, as if remembering something that happened a long time ago. He shivers, obviously not liking the memory. "We must save her. If Rosalie spills her name, then she will most likely be killed!"

"What? Why?"

"I can't explain now. Not without Link. Alright, I'll help you. But you must promise to get out of there as soon as you find her."

"Promise," I say, confused at the sudden change.

"Well, let's go. We have no time to lose."

-Later-

Holy Goddesses, my plan worked! I smirk to myself as I sneak through the shadows. So the guards are that gullible. They didn't even spot me when I snuck in. Shows how smart they are. I would suggest that Osamu should get better guards, but then again I wouldn't be in here if he did. Come to think of it, all castle guards seem to be incompetent. Wonder why that is.

I shake my head. It is not the time to wonder such things. I need to save Link! I wait in the shadows as Master passes by. Navi is with him to make sure no one sneaks up on him. He casually walks towards the dungeons as I follow silently, thankful for all he taught me. Funny, when I was younger, just learning about the Sheikah ways, I was impatient to learn all the 'coolest' tricks my people knew. I guess the basics are truly the most important after all.

Suddenly I feel a shiver go down my spine, and the horrible feeling that you get when you know someone's watching you fills me. Somebody has spotted me. I search the shadows, but the person who's been following me comes out of nowhere and jabs my nerves quickly, making me fall to the ground, unmoving. I hear talking, and feel myself get dragged away. I can't do anything but let the people take me, to my anger. Where did they come from? And who had been following me?

After a while, they take me to a small dungeon room that is usually used to get information out of people. They tie me to a chair with my arms pinned to my side and when they tie the last knot, I regain feeling in my body. I shift a bit, trying to get out of the ropes, but it's useless, like I should have known. I look up to see two Sheikah guards smirking at me. The door opens and I growl as _she_ comes in, her rose red eyes shining as she sees me. "It's been too long, Sheik. Bring in the prisoner!" she shouts and moments later, they bring in an exhausted-looking, beat up Link. She has bruises covering her body, her hair has been singed and burns cover her. What did these monsters do? They tie her up on a chair behind me so that our backs are facing each other. I look over my shoulder at her, worried. She looks like she's been to Din's Hell and back. "Amazing, isn't it? It was hard to break him into fearing me, but I had just achieved that task when the guards said they found you. Your friend is very strong, Sheik. Either that, or he's just too stupid to realize what I was doing."

I scowl at her, tugging on the ropes. "Rosalie, what do you have against him? He didn't do anything to you!" I yell, Rosalie smirks, crossing her arms and leaning on her right foot. Crap, I know that stance.

"Leave, I have some private issues to deal with," Rosalie tells the guards and they leave as I hear a moan behind me.

"Link?" I ask, looking back at her. She lifts her head and looks around slowly, not even bothering to struggle out of the ropes, to my surprise. She must be more injured than I thought. "Link?" I repeat. Her head lifts up faster and she looks over at me, a large, childish smile forming on her face when she sees me, reminding me of the impossible innocence of this girl.

'Sheik! You're okay!' despite her outer look, her voice is peppy and happy. She…cares that much about me? Her eyes go past me and widen, she starts shivering with…fear… 'W-what's going on?' I look back at Rosalie to see her smiling, enjoying the fear coming off Link.

"Now that we're alone, we have time to talk. It really has been too long, Sheik. Who knew in only two, almost three, years that you have found another," she looks at Link with deep hatred. I give Rosalie the same look, growling.

"Rosalie, I'll ask again, what do you have against Link?"

"Easy, she's trying to take my old place," Rosalie's face melts into a sneer as she walks around me and stands in front of Link. I look over my shoulder to see Link trying to shrink back into the chair as Rosalie reaches forward, small electrical sparks jumping off the tips of her fingers. Link whimpers and closes her eyes, as if waiting to be hit. I feel red rage run through me.

"You've been torturing her with magic?!" I yell.

"Of course, it was the fastest way to break her," Link's ears drop at the word 'break'.

'Am I really that…cowardly?' she thinks, unknowingly letting me hear it.

I'll confront her about it later, I need to deal with Rosalie. "Let her go right now. I'll do anything you say if you free her," I say. Rosalie looks thoughtful before giggling.

"Will you apologize to your uncle and rejoin us?" she asks. The blood drains from my face. _Me_ apologize to _him_? Why should I do that for?! "I'll give you time to think on it. But have you really forgotten what we were?" she asks, bending over and letting the collar of her shirt drop, twirling her hair with her finger and trying to act seductive. I glare at her face, that won't work on me.

'What were you?' Link asks curiously. I'll need to ask her how she stays so innocent, it doesn't make any sense.

"Well, flatty," I look at Link to see her blushing dully at that. Link looks down and I roll my eyes at Rosalie, seriously? How immature can you get? I think about it…maybe not as immature as Link, but at least Link's is a cute immature- Wait what? "Me and Sheiky here were once closer than anybody," Rosalie lifts Link's chin with her hand, not missing the fearful look the younger girl gives her. "But something happened and Sheik didn't believe that we were Connected," Oh boy, this looks bad. "But Connecting is only an old urban legend. There's no such thing as a Connection between two people. Apparently this didn't apply to Sheik, since he broke it off when it wasn't fun anymore." I growl, that is not true! I was the one who wanted us to stay together! She's the one who broke it off over nothing!

She circles the two of us, waving her butt and trying to look 'beautiful'. She turns to the door and pauses. "I'm still holding up on that offer Sheik. I'll be back in two hours," she says and slams the door behind her.

'…Sheik? What did she mean? About your uncle?'

I gulp. "My uncle…is Osamu," I know her eyes are widened.

'Tell me what happened?' she doesn't order me to, she asks. I look at her.

"It's a long story."

'We've got time. C'mon, you can trust me!' she smiles. I look at her face, she has a black eye, a bleeding lip and all sorts of bruises and cuts, but seeing passed that, I see her cuteness coming out and I find that I can't say no to her. Looks like my past will be reviled, I just hope she doesn't hate me.

"Alright, I'll tell you. When I was seven…"

Gery: There we go. Now there's a little more insight of the Sheikah and Rosalie. Boy, am I excited for the next chapter! We get to learn Sheik's past! What kind of things has he been through? What was his relationship with Rosalie like? And why was he banished by his own Tribe? Find out next chapter! See ya!


	19. Chapter 16

To Zelda's Spirit93 ;): Eeyup, don't cha love meh? :D. I love rats, and I thought Link needed a friend in that cell after what she went through. And yes, he shall be Rouge and he shall be loved forever by our little hero :). The friendship! It burns! Heh, I'm don't cook much, but thanks! Thank you again! And don't worry, the next chapter was fun to write and will (hopefully) be fun to read. P.S. I hate Rosalie too.

To Mihang: But it's fun! And don't hurt yourself, the fluffiness might (*cough*will*cough*) become more and more frequent ;). I hope you're feeling better, it's always a sad day when you're sick. (*Whispering* I won't tell a soul). I'm happy you're happy :) It cheers me up to read something or play a game when I'm sick. I feels zee love! Because Link is the most unlucky person alive, even in the games, and s/he will never get a break. Well, yeah. Link knows a bit about it, she gets visions from past lives and she remembers some names and stuff (like with Shadow and Vaati) but other than that no, she doesn't know a lot about her reincarnations. Well, at least not any more than the legends say. I'd think it would be like a wall for her and the other Links, the wall might have a few peep holes and hints, but other than that it blocks most of their past lives and such. (At least that's what I think *shrug*). No, this is a different Sheik, but he probably is the reincarnation of OoT Sheik (I like to think that Sheik is an actual person, and Zelda was just using his name and his appearance for the time being), since quite a few people of the people in the Zelda universe are reincarnations. Huh, guess I should have explained that better. They're tied back-to-back on the chairs, so they can see two different directions already. Hope that's cleared up. And the Shink will _always_ be an unstoppable machine, and it will become even more so in this chapter, I have plans *rubs hands together with an 'evil' grin on face* oh yes, I have plans. Hope that you get better!

To Shiro: Eeyup! I've been waiting to do this for a very, very long time. Yeah, that might be true, but they have some time to waste, so why not tell her? Then again it might be just…what?

To mrdirtyguy3: Thank you and I hope she does too :)

To Guest: Thank you. Yeah, Rosalie is very much unliked by all. I can think of a few ways. And she is a big jerk. That's good! :) But don't go exploding your head, it will all be fine! Heh, I like them too ^_^. (Huh, just noticed that.) I'll try!

Adam: And we're back!

Gery: Hey guys. I was excited for this chapter, but boy was it tricky to write. Coming up with a whole past about someone and fitting it into one chapter so it isn't too long but explains all it's supposed to is not easy, I'll tell ya that much.

Nura: That, and you were just being lazy.

Gery: *Sticks out tongue* Anyway, I don't own Zelda, only OCs and the plot.

Alex: Barely.

Gery: Enjoy!

Chapter 16: Sheik's Past

(Gery: Normal words are the narrative (obviously), **bold** words are what Sheik is saying, and _Italics_ is Link thinking. Just thought I'd let ya know)

**Alright, I'll tell you. When I was seven, I was just accepted as an apprentice to Master Hitoshi, one of the most successful and youngest Masters in over a hundred years.**

A young Sheik stood in line with the other young'uns, standing straight with his hands behind his back like the other kids. He was the youngest of the entire line, but was also one of the taller ones. He looked forward, eyes glued to the opposite side of the training area, waiting as the Master Guard walked down the line, cryptically looking over the Sheikah kids of this year. The Master Guard scowled. The kids were getting weaker and weaker looking each year. At this rate, the Sheikah would start running out of kids to teach and there would be less Masters for future generations.

"Pathetic," he growled, walking passed Sheik, "the lot of you. You're standing up right, but you look nothing like I expected. Greatest class in the year? I'll be the judge of that. Get in pairs. We will be sparring to see who qualifies for what, and how well you have done from the basic teachings your parents taught you!" he bellowed, making all of them but Sheik scramble to find a partner. The Master Guard noticed this and walked over to Sheik, towering over him. "Did you not hear me?"

"I heard you, but the others all stay away from me," he said indifferently, not intimidated by the Master.

"Care to share why?"

"I broke one of their arms when they insulted my cousin."

_Whoa, what got you so ticked?_

**I'm protective of the people I care about, even back then I held that close to me. The boy whose arm I broke called Sonja a dirty dog to her face then punched her. If a Sheikah had any honour at all, they would know you couldn't pick a fight with older students, and older students who picked a fight with a younger student who didn't know how to defend themselves was declared a disgrace. Sonja, knowing this, did nothing. But that didn't mean I couldn't. The guy wasn't out of a sling for two weeks after that.**

_Nice._

**Anyway, that aside…**

The Master Guard raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing what Sheik claimed. "You are protective."

"My father told me to take care of my family before he died," Sheik said, his eyes a bit misty at the thought of his father.

"You're father?" Master Guard asked, giving Sheik a closer look. "So, you are…?"

"Yes," he nodded, knowing what the Master was going to say.

"I see. Don't expect to get any special treatment."

"I never did."

The Master Guard smirked. "You'll be paired up with that girl," he pointed to a girl with midnight black hair and rose red eyes. "She'll be a good challenge for you."

Sheik walked over to the girl, she was kicking a wall and wasn't even wincing. She noticed Sheik and turned, ready to kick him if she had to. "Who're you?" she asked.

"My name is Sheik. The Master Guard told me to fight you," he answered, bowing to the other Sheikah. She smiled happily.

"Really? The Master Guard never lets anyone fight me! He says they're too weak!" she was practically bouncing before she regained her composure and bowed back at Sheik. "I'm Rosalie!"

_So she actually was pleasant as a kid?_

**Yes, surprising, I know.**

_What happened? She acts like something crawled up her ares and died._

**Pahahaha!**

_What's so funny?_

**N-nothing. Sonja said the same thing.**

Sheik and Rosalie stood on two different sides of the small area that had a white powder surrounding them, both in fighting stances that are basic for beginners who are more experienced. On quick, quiet feet, they both run forward, jumping out of the way of their opponent as they both try to jab the other in the ribs. They spun to face the other, focusing on nothing but the fight, everything else vanished as they continued to spar. Sheik kicked low, but Rosalie jumped over his leg and flipped over his head, landing behind him and kicking his back. He regained his footing and kicked back, hitting Rosalie in the stomach and making her double over. Sheik used this to his advantage and got her into a headlock, and soon, the Sheikah fight turned into a wrestling match.

After the dust cloud cleared, Sheik and Rosalie were both lying on the ground, out of breath and trying to pull their white Sheikah jumpsuits off their skin. Rosalie turned her head, smiling more brightly than ever. "That was great! No body's been able to keep me going for so long and give me a run for my Rupees!"

"Glad to be of service," Sheik gave a small smile, feeling proud. They stand up and put left hands into fists into their right palm, bowing at their wastes to show their respect.

_That's cool. You gotta show me some of your customs. They actually seem interesting._

**I'll need to teach you hand-to-hand combat as well. You might not always have a weapon with you.**

After they straightened, they saw the Master Guard coming over with a reasonably young man, who looked like he was in his late twenties/early thirties with brown hair and black eyes. He wore a high-ranked, black Sheikah garb and the two stood straight, wondering why such a high official would be coming over. "This is the boy that said he broke that one kid's arm. Boy, this man wants to speak with you. And Rosalie, I think we have a Master for you," the young girl smiled and bowed to the Guard before following him.

The newcomer looked down at Sheik, smiling as the young boy bowed to him. "Hello there, lad. What's your name?"

"Sheik."

"I see. So you are the Duke's son."

_Wait, what?_

**What?**

_You're the Duke's son? What Duke?_

**Before Osamu took over, this place used to have an alliance with Zelda's father, Daphnes. My father was the Duke and was held with high respect.**

_Wow, what happened?_

**I'll explain later.**

Sheik nodded, the man smiled. "I saw your skills when fighting Rosalie. And I can tell you have a long way before you can improve enough to be at a high level, perhaps a high Blue ranking or even a Black," the man bowed. "My name is Hitoshi, you may call me Master Hitoshi if you would like to be my apprentice."

**I was honoured. No Sheikah child had gotten a Master so quickly before, and at such a young age. I had heard of Master Hitoshi before, he was one of the most famous Sheikah Masters of all time. And he was offering me to be his apprentice! It was like a dream come true for me. That night, the real training started.**

Sheik hit the dummy with the hardest kicks he could muster, irritated. He thought he'd be learning how to jump from building to building! This wasn't training!

"You must build up your stamina," Master Hitoshi said, watching Sheik carefully. "Sheikah are known, not for our strength, but for our quick, quiet feet and ability to keep going forever. We can cross an entire Province in a day at a running pace if we train hard and long enough. But you have a long way to go before you can get to that level. You are only a White Rank Sheikah at the moment, so we must start from the things you already know and improve them enough so we can move on to the next lesson."

Sheik frowned, not fully understanding. "But I thought I'd be learning jump kicks! I've been doing this stuff since I was four!"

"Yes, but even a Master Craftsmen can make a mistake. Sheikah can't afford to make mistakes while fighting, since we use close-range weapons and occasionally the Chain-Whip for long-range offensive tactics," Sheik's eyes shone at the word 'Chain-Whip'. That was his dream weapon. "To achieve your dreams and goals, you must start from the lowest level and build up. Never rush into battle, or into something you don't fully know or understand, and try to never let your guard down. Any stranger could be a potential threat, so you must stay on your toes and be able to flee or fight at a moment's notice."

"Yes, Master," Sheik sighed, going back to kicking the dummy.

By the next week, Sheik was starting to get tired and annoyed. He's been doing the same thing this whole time! Kicking a dummy wasn't exciting, it was boring! He couldn't believe that the man he was apprenticed to could be a Master. He didn't teach anything

"Sheik, notice the dummy!" Master Hitoshi cut through his thoughts and Sheik let his guard down, the dummy coming back and knocking him over. Master Hitoshi stood there as Sheik picked himself up, covered in dust, sweat and a few bruises from the few times that had happened. "That is why you must never let your guard down. The most dangerous things are the things you don't expect."

"Master Hitoshi, I've been at this for a week now! What has this got to do with my training?" Sheik asked, stamping his foot into the ground childishly.

_Geez, temper-tantrum much?_

**Oh be quiet, I was seven. Where you much better?**

_I started my sword training when I was seven too, Rusl taught me basics and I was just thinking of all the cool sword techniques he showed me. That was motivation enough for me to keep at my training, even when I repeated the same stances and swings day after day after day after day. Of course, I would usually sleep until noon then pass out after training, so it felt like a long time._

**Holy crap, do you even use those basic sword moves?**

_Yep, I even used a simple forward slash on Ganondork, he expected me to be fancy with my sword, so I was as unfancy as unfancy could ever get, which threw him off guard. I love messing with people like that, it's hilarious._

**You're so weird.**

_Thank you!_

"Have you even been paying attention this past week?" Master Hitoshi asked calmly, not raising his voice like most would expect him to do. "Look at how much you've improved," he motioned to the dummy and Sheik turned, blinking at what he saw. The dummy, which had seemed perfectly unharmed only eight hours ago, had its arms unstitching enough to see the straw coming out, one of the legs was starting to tear off, and the chest was battered, dented and caving in in some spots. "Could you do that before?" Sheik turned to his Master, who was smiling knowingly.

"…No," Sheik said, looking back at the dummy.

"Sheik, believe me, when I was a young'un I was just like you. Wanting to be the best of the other apprentices, wanting to beat all of them in everything I did, and I was very impatient. I even lost my own Master because he gave up on me. That day I learned that I had to be patient, I had to if I wanted to be the best Master in the history of Sheikah. I eventually found a different Master and trained harder than I ever could before. Look at where I am now, training a prodigy."

_Wow, not very often a prodigy comes along._

**Tell me about it.**

_Wait, if you're a prodigy, then why are you only a Blue Rank? Wouldn't you be higher?_

**It will be explained.**

Sheik didn't believe what Hitoshi was saying for a moment. A prodigy? Him? No way, Hitoshi was pulling his leg. He couldn't possibly be a prodigy, those came around only once in a full Sheikah lifetime. Hitoshi could sense what Sheik was thinking, and crouched to look up at him. "Sheik, I could tell from the way you fought that girl that you are very skilled. You understand how you move, you know your strengths and weaknesses, and you can point out the flaws in your opponent's fighting style. Those abilities are not easy to come by, and take a time to develop. Like I said before, you are only a White Rank, but that doesn't mean you will forever be one. Now, let's get back to work," Hitoshi stood, a small spark in his eye. "We have a long way to go before you achieve your goals."

**For the next few years after that, I trained in the Sheikah Dojo with other teachers, learning other fighting styles with the other students, learning History, learning how to read Ancient Hylian, and learning everything I could about other races and monsters that lived in Hyrule. Outside of those classes, I would practice under Master Hitoshi with Sonja, who had been accepted by him two years after me. I was nine when everything finally started to get more advanced.**

Sheik ran at the dummy, he was low to the ground as he zeroed in on the heap of stone. When he was a meter away, he spun and kicked back, sending the head off of the rock dummy that he had advanced to. It shattered on the ground like glass and Sheik smirked as he lowered his leg, his face red from that day's practice. He heard clapping and turned to Master Hitoshi, who was smiling happily. "Very well done, Sheik!" Hitoshi walked up to him and Sheik bowed at him. "You've improved a lot over the last few years. I do believe you're ready to move onto the Red Rank," Hitoshi put a hand on his chin, pretending to ponder it as he looked at Sheik's face, seeing the eagerness and determination. "I'll talk to Osamu about it later. Let's have something to eat," his Master put a hand on Sheik's back and they walked to the Sheikah Training Barracks.

As they ate, Sheik needed to ask something that had been on his mind for half a year now. "Master, how come you said I was a prodigy, but I'm only getting to the Red Rank now? Sonja only just joined and she's already at the Blue Rank."

Hitoshi sighed, he had known Sheik would ask that. "I am not sure myself, Sheik. I talked to Osamu about it, but he seemed to want to keep you back for as long as he could, when he made Sonja advance."

"Well, he is-" Sheik was interrupted by the feeling of being watched and he stood up and turned, reaching for his newly acquired throwing knives to see Rosalie standing there, smiling brightly.

"I was wondering when you'd notice me, rival!" she said.

_Rivals, huh?_

**Yeah, when we started training, we were always at the same level, and would always be paired for fighting. We soon saw each other as friendly rivals, always trying to best the other while helping the other grow in their skills.**

_That's nice. I still wanna know what got up her ares._

**Trust me, so does everyone else.**

"I've been standing here for five minutes!" she sat down beside Sheik and stole an apple off his plate. "Still an Orange Rank?"

"Not for long. I'll be a Red Rank tomorrow."

"Finally, you'll be at my level again!"

_I thought you said you were at the same level._

**We were. Well, actually I was slightly higher than her, but the teachers advanced her before me and focused more on her for some reason.**

_Ew, favoritism. That's not good for a kid's self-esteem._

**Yeah, I abandoned the thought of me being a prodigy the day she became a Grey Rank and I was still a Red.**

_That's mean. Whoever's in charge of the Ranking System needs to get sacked._

**Sadly it's Osamu.**

_Oh, right. Rosaliar kept calling him Master._

**Rosaliar?**

_Did you expect me not to give her a fitting nickname?_

**Honestly, I'm not surprised at all.**

"Yes, if your Master allows it."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"He hasn't allowed me to move up since I became an Orange Rank a year ago. You're already at your Blue Rank."

"So is Sonja. Now that I think about it, it is weird that me and your cousin are higher than you, it's obvious to everyone you should be at our level, if not higher," Rosalie said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's very odd. Osamu is usually good with those things. I must get going, Sheik. I need to visit Hyrule Castle Town to see an old friend of mine."

"Alright, Master," Sheik nodded and Hitoshi left.

"I need to go too, Master said he's teaching me to learn mind reading!" Rosalie ran out and Sheik sighed, putting his head on his arms.

It wasn't fair. Why did Osamu seem to hate him? Whenever he spoke to the Duke, he would be short and angry at him for no reason. It was like he was holding something against Sheik. Then he remembered the Hylian family he and his father had been friends with. They had had their own kid who was only a half a year old when their house caught fire.

_Oh man, where they okay?_

**Sadly no. I don't remember much about them, I was close to turning three at the time, but from what I was told my Sonja, she said that the man and woman didn't survive. No one knows what happened to the baby. They assume she died too,** **but no one knows for sure. When I ask Master Hitoshi, he always has a haunted look in his eye and doesn't say anything. I think he knows, but I've never known why he's keeping it quiet.**

_Why did the house burn?_

**Master suspects it was Osamu. If you couldn't tell by the way people have treated you, Osamu is very discriminative towards Hylians. He says that a Hylian man killed his entire family and that he's out for revenge.**

_So, just because of one ares hole, Osamu wants to make sure my people _are_ extinct?_

**I don't think that's the full story. You'd have to ask someone else.**

Osamu had never liked Hylians for some reason, so maybe he was angry at Sheik's father for being close to a poor couple that lived in the forest on the other side of the desert. Sheik's father had given them some Rupees to keep them on their feet and to take care of their baby, maybe Osamu didn't like that family. But even so, how was that a reason to hate Sheik? He didn't even remember that family very much. All he could remember, slightly, was the baby girl they had, nothing more.

"Pst, Sheik!" the sun-blonde boy turned his head to the window to see his friend standing there, a smile on his face. "Are you free?"

"Naoko, what are you doing? You can't be in here," Sheik said, going over to the window.

"Who cares? Come on! I found a great new passage in the Palace!" Naoko waved for him.

Sheik looked behind him and, seeing no one, snuck out of the window. "Okay, but I only have a few hours until classes start."

"Then let's hurry!" Naoko said and the two ran, Sheik following beside his slower friend.

They came to the back of the Palace without getting spotted and pushed some loose rocks aside, reviling a darkened, moist tunnel. They went in and blocked the entrance again, waiting a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the limited light. The two boys followed the tunnel for some time before coming to a slant in the tunnel that lead up, where a small stream of light was shining through the wooden door above them. They opened the door slowly, peeking out to find themselves in the kitchens. Luckily no one was around and they climbed out of the tunnel and placed a few sacks of flour over top to be sure no one finds it. Naoko pulled out a map from his pocket and looked it over before going down the right corridor from the kitchens, his smile slowly growing. After three lefts, five rights and hiding behind tapestries and suits of armour, Naoko eventually led Sheik to a gargoyle that had long ears and its tongue sticking out. "Watch this," Naoko grabbed the two ears and pulled. The sound of grinding stone could be heard and the wall at the end of the corridor slid out of the way, reviling another dark tunnel. "We might need your fire for this, this is as far as I got before I had to turn back," he said as they entered. He stepped on a stone slab sticking out of the tunnel's floor and the wall grinded back into place, as if it had never moved.

"How in Hyrule do you find these things?" Sheik asked, summoning a small ball of fire in his palm.

"I always wonder myself," the silver-eyed boy shrugged and pulled out a charcoal pencil, placing it on a blank piece of paper he had with him. He started sketching the tunnel as Sheik looked around, it was like the tunnel they used to get into the kitchens, but wider and dry. Sheik noticed that there were about three different tunnels coming off of the main one. "Okay, looks good," Naoko folded the new map and tucked it in his belt, looking up. "So, which way?"

"Let's keep going straight, that was we can just turn around and head back if we need to," Sheik said and they went down the tunnel, Naoko sketching the way on his map and in his mind.

_His mind?_

**Yeah, he had an excellent memory. But over the last few years it's been getting worse and worse, I think something bad is happening to him.**

_Sweet Nayru, what's wrong?_

**I don't know. He says that he's been seeing a doctor the last little while, but nothing's happened.**

_Ugh, probably better than the doctor in Castle Town. That old Keese needs to stop being such a grouch. I was very tempted to bite his leg._

**What?**

_It's not important. You were saying?_

As the two ventured further and further down the tunnel, the dimmer and smaller it became until there was only a thin path that made Naoko fall behind Sheik. Rats, mice and small Skulltulas were everywhere, and there was a skeleton of what looked to be a bandit that had found the tunnel, but seemed to have slipped and broken their back or neck. The skeleton had nothing good on it, so the two just continued through the tunnel.

"Wow, this seems to go on forever," Naoko said as a Skulltula the size of Sheik's head scuttled past them towards the way they came.

"If we don't find anything in the next few minutes we should go back," Sheik said.

"Sounds like a plan. Hey, what's that up ahead?" there was a bit of light coming out of the tunnel's roof, in shaped the outline of a square and the two quickened their pace to get there. The tunnel widened where they stood and they had to crouch to not hit their heads on the lowered roof. They pushed the tile up and out of the way silently and stuck their heads out, gaping at where they were. They were behind the throne! "What's the purpose of this?"

"I guess this tunnel was made so that people could escape if there was an assassin in the palace," Sheik whispered thoughtfully. They ducked their heads when they heard footsteps and listened in on whoever was talking.

"Osamu," they heard someone say and they assumed that the person was kneeling.

"Have you found the kid yet?"

"No, whoever took the kid made sure that we couldn't track it down. We've searched all of Hyrule, from Snowpeak in the north to that poor village in the south, it's nowhere to be found."

"We must kill it. If we let any of their kind live, it could be the end of us. Even if it's only one kid, that makes a big difference. The thing could find a half-blood, and the probability of that happening is very high. Some half-bloods are hiding in Castle Town, and we have some of their locations."

"Can't we just go and kill 'em?"

"No. The King will suspect us if we try. No go search for that creature," Osamu spat.

"Yes, Osamu."

Sheik and Naoko looked at each other. What was Osamu talking about? What creature? Was it dangerous? Was it even important? Whatever it was, it probably couldn't affect them at all.

_You so just jinxed that._

**It never has, so it's not a jinx.**

_What if you've met this creature they're talking about already? You've probably talked to it without knowing. Who knows? You might even been traveling with it at one point._

**Hmm.**

_What is it?_

**Nothing…it's…nothing.**

_And you call _me_ a bad liar._

Not wanting to get caught behind the throne, they closed it up and started to head back to the entrance, talking about what they had overheard. "Osamu's looking for something, but what could it be?" Naoko wondered.

"Maybe a thief who stole from him or something. Whoever it is, they'll probably be dead by next week, knowing Osamu," said Sheik. They made it out of the tunnel and closed it behind themselves, Osamu's words echoing through their minds.

But what happened between Osamu and the servant didn't matter, because a few hours later, Sheik was moved to the Red Rank of his studies. He didn't even care if it took him so long, he was so close to getting to have his dream weapon. Once you hit the Blue Rank, you got to choose the weapon that you wanted to make your own. Most Sheikah students got daggers, or enchanted bows that never ran out of arrows, but Sheik had always wanted the chain-whip, since it was the weapon his own father used the most, and he wanted to be closer to him.

_So that's why you always have that with you._

**Yes.**

_Do you remember much about your dad? What happened to him?_

**He got sick when I was six, a year before I started training. His symptoms were close to the ones you had when you were poisoned the other-**

_Sheik? What's wrong? You look like a Poe._

**My father was poisoned. He had the exact same symptoms you had. Someone must have poisoned him, and since no one was around but me and Sonja, we couldn't figure out what was wrong. **

_That must have been scary._

**It was. I was terrified.**

…_Where you okay?_

**Not for a while, I got lazy and just sat around at Sonja's house, since I had no one else to live with.**

_What about your mom?_

**She…died when I was born.**

_Oh, sorry for bringing it up._

**I don't blame you.**

He stood in line with two other students, who were moving into the Red Rank with him. Both of them were boys and looked more physically strong than Sheik, but he didn't care, he was just happy to finally make it to the Red Rank.

That night, he sat with Sonja at her home. She didn't take the classes with the teachers, since she was excelling passed everybody he knew. She only got taught by Master and she was already in the Blue-going-on-Grey Rank. Her weapon of choice was a double headed spear, which was strapped onto her back wherever she went. "Congrats on making the Red Rank, Sheik. Took Osamu long enough to let you go on."

"Yeah," Sheik forked some pig meat, thinking. "Do you know why he hates me so much?"

"No. Whenever I ask him, he says he doesn't hate you, but that's an obvious lie. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you have a Connection with a Hylian."

Sheik dropped his dinner in shock. "What? I don't have a Connection! And I've never met any Hylians!"

"That's not true. Remember that Hylian family that got killed? You were really close to their baby, from the moment you saw her."

"I was two, do you expect me to remember that?" Sheik asked, still not believing it. A Connection is a rare thing indeed, it happened only once in every two Sheikah lifetimes, which could last as long as a hundred and twelve years if you were lucky.

_Farore's Spirit, you guys get old!_

**You shouldn't talk. Hylians can live to a hundred and fifty, and that's the normal age.**

_Oh…That's kinda sad. What if they don't fall in love with another Hylian? They'll have to watch their lover and even their children die before them. That'd be so depressing…_

**No. When a non-Hylian marries a Hylian, some sort of Blood Magic connects them, giving the non-Hylian and their children the power to live longer. And since Hylians only marry once, it's not as sad as you would think.**

_You know more about my people than I do. Wait, if Hylians live up to a hundred and fifty, would that make me a baby at my age now?_

**Pft, no. The funny thing is, even though you live longer, you age the same as any other person until you turn sixty, when your age slows down and you looked like you're that age until a hundred and twenty I think, then you start to age again.**

_Huh…_

Sonja had to be pulling Sheik's leg, she did it so often, it was hard to tell when she was serious about something. A Connection between a Sheikah and a Hylian has never happened before, not even when the Sheikah were just a small Tribe compared to the Hylians. And why would Sheik have any Connection at all? If anybody had a Connection, it would probably be Rosalie.

Sonja smirked knowingly. "You're so naïve, Sheik," she said, spooning some food into her mouth. Sheik hated two things, people who treated him like a kid, and when someone called him naïve.

He glared at his cousin, not amused at all. "I am not! I don't have a Connection, and I never will!"

"Don't say that, you tend to do the impossible," she shrugged. "Remember when you levitated that bowl of fruit a few months ago?"

"That was by accident, and I was mad at one of the teachers," Sheik muttered. "Sonja, can you drop it? I'm just like any other Sheikah. I'm not special."

Sonja gave Sheik a sad look and sighed, looking out the window to her right. "Never say that Sheik. You're special in many ways."

This confused Sheik. When had he ever shown he was any more special than the other students? He'd been held back for so long, for the Rank he was going for, the Blue Rank, he should have been at the Red Rank a year ago. Besides, Osamu's look just told him all he needed to know, he would never get his chain-whip.

Sheik lay awake in his bed, thinking. What could he do to prove that he could get to the Blue Rank? Maybe he could go and survive in the desert, like Sonja did. Or he could fight against a Blue Rank Sheikah, if he won, he would move up. He liked the sound of the latter. But was he really ready?

"I need to train."

The next morning, Sonja went into Sheik's room, he usually slept in when he was thinking hard, but when she entered, she saw that his bed was already empty and the closet was open. She went over to the closet and peeked in to find Sheik's new Red Rank bodysuit gone. "Oh Goddess," she muttered, knowing exactly what her younger cousin was doing.

She went outside to the practice court and saw Sheik attacking a dummy with swift punches and kicks, he even used a few throwing knives on dummies on the other side. Sonja sighed and walked over to him, hands behind her head as she casually walked in front of him, just before he was about to throw his next knife. "Stop," she said shortly.

"I need to train harder if I want to get to the Blue Rank," Sheik panted, moving around Sonja and attacking the dummy again. "If I can do that, then maybe I can move on faster than last time."

"Sheik, it's no use exhausting yourself," Sonja put a hand on his shoulder and dragged him away. "Now, we have to eat then go help Master with some things."

**Then four years later, when I was thirteen, I was **_**still**_** a Red Rank, and I was almost giving up on ever become a Blue Rank. But…things began to change.**

Sheik was sparring against Sonja in an oasis, the day was hot and sticky, and both teens were sweaty and tired from their fight. Master Hitoshi stood by a lone tree, watching them carefully and shouting out tips and advice to the two as they stepped dangerously close to the water. Then with one swift kick, Sonja sent Sheik towards the water, but not before he could grab her ankle and take her with him. They surfaced and gasped, letting themselves cool down in the shaded water. They were laughing when Hitoshi came over and helped them out. "Good job you two, you keep improving," he smiled as they sat down for the midday meal.

They smiled back proudly, Sheik even puffed out his chest a bit, and hi-fived each other, making Master Hitoshi chuckle. "Master, could we try again?" Sheik asked.

Master Hitoshi sighed. "Sheik, I know how much you want to go on to the Blue Rank, but Osamu and Rosalie still aren't back yet."

"They've been gone for three years, Master, what are they doing?"

"Well, I heard that Osamu's trying to get Rosalie to the Silver Rank," Sheik's and Sonja's jaws dropped.

"What? But she's not nearly that good! I'm better than her!" Sonja protested.

"How come she's getting the Silver Rank, and I'm still a Red?" Sheik asked himself quietly.

"I know, I know. But Osamu is much more powerful than me, being the Emperor, and he can make his apprentice anyone he wishes, and he can make them the highest Rank of all."

"That's just stupid," Sonja said. "Rosalie isn't even that good. Sure she's a high Rank, but that doesn't mean anything. Look at Sheik! He's better than all the Blue Ranks!"

Sheik looked down, his cheeks tinged red. "No I'm not…"

"You are right, Sonja. The Ranks don't even mean much."

_If the Ranks don't mean much, then why do you have them?_

**Not now, I think Rosalie might be back if we talk too long.**

"They're just a way to show that you're learning old Sheikah tricks. But if they're back by the time we are, I'll speak to Osamu. Until then, we'll continue sparring. Get up you two, we will stay here until dark."

**That night, when we got back to the city, I was heading to the mess hall when I passed the training room. I heard a voice and went inside to see what was going on. I was surprised when I saw Rosalie.**

Sheik stood there, hardly believing what he was seeing. Rosalie was taller, thinner, more muscular and no longer had that child face she had as a kid. She was at least 5'5", and had a leaner body than three years ago. "Rosa?" Sheik asked, using her nickname. She tuned and smiled brightly when she saw him before running over and hugging him.

"Sheik! It's been so long! How are you?" she asked, pulling away and frown when she saw Sheik's clothes. "You're…still a Red Rank?"

"Yeah," he sighed, looking at the floor for a second before back at Rosalie. "It doesn't matter though. How have you been? My Master said that you're aiming for the Silver Rank."

"Yes I am. I was surprised when Master mentioned it, but thrilled at the same time. It's rare for that to happen!" she let go and stepped back, looking up at Sheik, who was two inches taller. "You've grown a lot."

"So have you."

"Funny how we both have a growth spurt in the time we don't see each other. And we're only thirteen!" she giggled.

"I don't think we've stopped growing either," said Sheik, his smile still present. He never noticed, but Rosalie's eyes seemed to have a soft glow to them, and her features were so…beautiful. How come he never noticed before?

"Come on, I've got loads to tell you!"

**After that, we trained with each other and stayed together whenever we could. The more we were together, the more I noticed how she had changed. It was a good change, and before I knew it, we were fifteen, and it was the week after my birthday that I realized something.**

Sheik and Rosalie sat on the rooftops, laughing as they ate some food they stole from the kitchens. "Hey, that one looks like a cat," Rosalie pointed up at the stars. "See the ears and tail?"

Sheik nodded and spotted something. A shooting star. "Did you make a wish?" Rosalie asked, turning her head to Sheik.

"No, I'd rather work for what I want," he shook his head.

Rosalie smiled and moved herself so she was leaning into his side and put her head on his shoulder. "I wished for something."

"Yeah?" Sheik asked, feeling his face get hot.

"Yeah…" she looked up and for the first time, Sheik felt his heart twinge with something, some emotion he'd never really felt before. Rosalie…was the most beautiful girl he had ever met, and would probably ever meet.

_Really? So she was…that pretty?_

**What's wrong Link? You sound…a little sad.**

_I-it's nothing. Really._ _Go on._

Suddenly, Rosalie kissed the side of Sheik's face, making both their cheeks turn pink. "I…wished for that," she whispered, not ashamed of her hot face. "Sheik…I think of you as…more than just a friend."

The boy smiled, not sure what to make of it, but realized what that twinge was. It was love. Not the family love he feels for Sonja or his Master, but a true love, for someone else. He felt as if butterflies were dancing in his stomach, he was lightheaded, but the feeling was wonderful. Nothing was better than at that moment.

**From then on, me and Rosalie were-gulp-lovers. I loved her so much, and I had never felt so happy. It no longer mattered that I had just gotten my Blue Rank as she had Silver, it no longer mattered that she had been unfairly advanced as I was left behind. The only thing that mattered was that we were together, and happy. For two years we would go for walks, talk about the most personal things, and just be together in silence. We still had our classes, we were still being taught by our Masters, and we still had our other friends, but whenever we had a spare moment, we were together. But then…**

Sheik was going to the courtroom with Sonja, both of them were wondering what exactly was going on. All they knew was that someone tried to steal from Osamu, and the going-mad man had called some of the Masters to the room. They entered and slipped in beside Master Hitoshi, who was watching the door that led to the dungeons with fearful eyes. Osamu sat on his throne, sitting high and straight as Rosalie stood at his side, anger on her face. Sheik might not have noticed through his love-sickness, but Sonja noticed that over the last few years, Osamu had been corrupting Rosalie, making her hate the things he hated, making her learn the things he did. The Silver Rank Sheikah was dangerous now, and untouchable.

"Bring in the accuser," Osamu said and the door to the dungeons burst open. Two guards came in, dragging a man behind them. The man was frail-looking, but not old. In fact, he was quite young, maybe just into his mid-thirties, and he was bruised, scarred and burned all over. Sheik's eyes widened when he saw the man's ears. He was Hylian.

_Oh no_, Sheik exchanged glances with Sonja, who looked stone-faced, but he could tell she was thinking the same, since her hand was inching towards her spear.

"State your name," Osamu said as the Hylian was forced to kneel in front of him.

"Charlie," the Hylian said, his voice was weak and shaky. How long had they kept him in the cell?

"Why did you steal?"

"I swear I didn't. I was looking for some help. You see, I wanted to keep a promise to some my sister and brother-in-law who died fourteen and a half years ago, to find their kid, and I needed help. But I accidently knocked over a vase, and was caught by these nice gentleman," he said the last bit sarcastically. Sheik couldn't help but smirk at the man's humour.

"I was told you were trying to steal," Osamu said. Sheik noted that he was gaining some grey hairs and wrinkles.

"Then whoever told you was lying. I would never steal, even at the worst of times," Charlie bowed his head low. "But I will take any punishment you give me. I am a humble man, and I will take anything you throw at me with honour. I did trespass into your castle undetected after all. Oh, and I would highly suggest you get better guards," he added as an afterthought. "A ten-year-old could probably get passed them."

Osamu's eyes blazed and Sheik gulped. The Emperor didn't believe Charlie. "Charlie the Hylian, you're punishment will not be light. Take this man to the torture chamber," the men seized Charlie, the man didn't even try to put up a fight. "Then once that is done, you will become a personal slave of mine. You will do anything and everything I tell you."

"Yes, soon-to-be-Master," Charlie nodded. Sheik looked at Master Hitoshi, the man looked torn in two, he looked as if he wanted to go in and get Charlie out of there, but the other half knew what that would mean. Charlie looked up and locked eyes with Master Hitoshi. Sheik watched the exchange, Master Hitoshi must have read something in Charlie's eyes, since he nodded, when Sheik looked back at Charlie, he saw that the man was smiling, looking as if he was ten years younger. "Thank you, old friend," he whispered, but Sheik heard him.

He looked at his Master, raising an eyebrow. "You know that man?" he asked. Master Hitoshi looked at him, nodding grimly.

"Yes. I haven't seen him in many years. Come along, you two, we have training to do," Hitoshi left with Sonja, but Sheik looked back at Charlie, who was being dragged back into the dungeons. Without thinking, he followed behind them silently, he couldn't let that man get hurt. He felt as if he had met him.

He came to the cell with Charlie sitting in it, his arms chained above his head. Sheik held the cell bars in his hands and rattled them, making Charlie look up. Now that Sheik got a good look at his face, he saw that the man had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. "Well, if it isn't you. I haven't seen you since I saw my niece last," he chuckled, a strange warmth in his eyes.

"You know me?"

"Yes, you were a toddler last time I saw you. I remember the photos I took of you and my niece, you were probably the only one who could keep her in place other than my sister," Charlie laughed.

Sheik ignored this and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"It's alright, kid. I'll survive."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Stop being such a pessimist," he teased, grinning. "Now get outta here. If someone finds you, you'll get into a lot of trouble."

That night, Sheik was passing by Osamu's quarters when he heard shouting. He pressed his ear against the door. "Another stupid Hylian! If any more come here, then I'm going to have to start thinking of new methods to get rid of them!" Osamu yelled.

"Master, calm down," Rosalie's voice surprised Sheik. "Those creatures need to be stopped. I think it would be best to just get rid of the old and weak ones. Let them rot in the Desert Chamber and then we'll have more room."

Sheik suppressed a gasp. The Desert Chamber was the cruelest way to execute someone, they were left in a scorching hot room with only a roof that closed up at night and radiated heat. People died of hydration, heat stroke, illness, you name it. And it usually took three days at most for them to start dropping like flies. It was horrid, how Rosalie could suggest that people go in there was beyond Sheik. He thought she scared about people.

"Excellent idea, Rosalie," Osamu said. He was probably smiling madly. "We will wipe out those Hylians that way. All the worthless ones will be dead by the end of the weak."

_Oh my Goddesses, that's horrible! How could someone be so heartless?!_

**I don't know Link, I really don't.**

Sheik had to be hearing things. There was no way that Rosalie would kill someone who didn't deserve it. Most of the Hylians in the cells were just trespassers, and would be let out in a few months. What was the point in killing them? But he had to be sure, he would ask Rosalie later that night about it.

Sheik paced the room, waiting for his girlfriend. He had told her to meet him there at ten, but she wasn't there yet. What was keeping her? She was never late. The door opened and she walked in, smiling at Sheik. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Master and I were getting something ready for tomorrow."

"What would that be?"

"Well, you know how the cells are getting cluttered with those Hylians?" It looked like Sheik didn't need to worry, she was going to tell him anyway. "Well, we're setting up the Desert Chamber to get rid of them."

"Why? I thought you cared for people."

"I care for people, but Hylians aren't people. They're just an abomination."

_Your _face_ is an abomination!_

**Link shut up, this is serious.**

Sheik was very confused right now. "Why do you think that?"

"They killed Master's family," Rosalie said shortly.

"That's a lie."

"Hm? Oh, right, you and Sonja-"

"Exactly. Besides, you've never wished for someone to die."

"That was before I saw that Charlie man today. He had the look of a joking liar."

"No, he took what he got without complaint. The first person to ever do that," Sheik turned away, sighing sadly. "I thought you were different Rosa. When I heard you and Osamu talking about the Desert Chamber, I didn't want to believe it."

"You eavesdropped?" she asked, it was very out of character for Sheik. "That was privet! Oh well, it's not like you're going to go against the Emperor."

"The moment I accept that man as my ruler is the moment he accepts me as his nephew."

_Does he have a kid?_

**Yes. Sadly, that man is Sonja's dad.**

_But Sonja doesn't look anything like him!_

**Sonja looks like her mom. But that doesn't matter. What I'm going to tell you next is possibly the most serious thing I could ever say. Please don't interrupt.**

_You have my word._

"Rosalie, I need to stop him from killing those innocent people."

"The only way to do that is to fight him."

"I know, but it's I'll take that risk," Sheik turned back to Rosalie and blinked when he saw hatred in her eyes, hatred turned to him.

"You know, Sheik, Master won't be happy if he finds out you eavesdropped on him," she said, her voice dangerously calm.

"I didn't eavesdrop," Sheik said. "I was passing by when he yelled it out."

"You know you'll lose, you aren't brave nor strong enough to take him on."

"That doesn't matter. I'm going to take him on and free them!"

"Then I have no choice…Goodnight, Sheiky," then she was behind him before he could react and knocked him to the floor.

Sheik woke some time later to the frantic voice of Sonja as she shook him. He opened his eyes to see her face and she leaned back, sighing with relief. "Good, you're awake. I was worried Rosalie hurt you more than I thought."

"What happened? Where's Rosalie?" Sheik groaned, sitting up from the bed he was resting on.

"Rosalie told her version of what happened, saying that you were thinking of challenging Osamu because you wanted the throne, and everyone but the people who know you the best believed her."

"What?! I was going to challenge him to free some Hylians he's going to send to the Desert Chamber!" Sheik yelled. Sonja's eyes widened. "Osamu's going to send all the 'weak' and old people into the chamber, because the cells are 'too crowded'. I overheard him talking to Rosa-lie," Sheik added the last part.

"I thought she lied, but I had no idea they're going to send so many people into the Chamber," Sonja said, sitting on the bed. "We need to tell Master, maybe he can help."

The doors suddenly opened and two guards came in, followed by the head guard, Ryuu. That couldn't be good. "Sheik, we have been informed that you want to challenge Osamu?"

"Only to free those Hylians," Sheik said, standing up and ignoring the pain in the back of his head.

"Why do you want to free those creatures?" Ryuu asked.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sheik asked.

"Because they're filthy vermin, now come along, I'm not making your punishment after all," he started walking, and for a few seconds Sheik didn't move, his feet felt like they were weighed down by solid stone blocks. How could Rosalie lie and betray him like this? He though she cared about him. "Coming?" shaken out of his thoughts, Sheik reluctantly followed, Sonja right beside him. She was deathly pale.

Sheik stood in front of Osamu and Rosalie, in the same spot Charlie had been in earlier that day. Osamu was looking him up and down while Rosalie gave him a smug grin, as if this is what she had planned all along. "Sheik, Rosalie told me you wanted to fight for my throne," he wanted to protest, to say that that wasn't true, but Rosalie's word was taken into more account, considering she was a Silver and he was a Blue Rank. "Not only that, but you want me to let those creatures go? Those creatures, those _things_, killed my father, and I will take whatever revenge I like. And if anyone wants to stop me or get in my way, they will be punished, no matter if they are my family or not," Osamu locked eyes with Sheik as the Sheikah teachers entered the room as well, some with grim faces, a fair few with torn expressions, but the majority were smiling cruelly at Sheik, happy about whatever punishment he was about to receive. "Sheik, you are banished from this Tribe."

The blood drained from Sheik's face and he felt like he had been petrified and slapped in the face at the same time. To be banished for such a stupid thing, to be banished at all, was horrible. If a Sheikah was banished by the Tribe leader, then it's the biggest disgrace one can get. Sheik fought to keep his legs from shaking. "You're banishing me?! For wanting to save innocent people!"

"Those things aren't people!" Osamu rose from his seat, venom dripping from each word.

Sheik clenched his fists, thinking of the many lives that were about to be taken, just because of what they are. That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair at all. "Osamu, let them go," Sheik said, trying to keep his voice from faltering.

"Why should I? I'm the Emperor after all, and your uncle."

"You'll never be part of my family!" Sheik yelled, blood starting to drip from his nails digging into his palms. "The only family I have are Sonja and Master Hitoshi! You're nothing but a pathetic abuse of power!" the moment Sheik said it, he regretted it. Now they'll never let him back.

"As long as I stay on this throne, you are banished from _my_ Tribe," Osamu said, sitting back down. "You have one hour to leave. If you step foot in this place again, I'll have the right to punish you much harsher than I have now."

Sheik gritted his teeth when he felt a hand be placed on his shoulder. He looked to see Sonja. She smiled softly and tugged his arm, silently telling him to come. "But before you go, don't you want to see those creatures be taken care of? I know a brilliant one to show you," Sheik turned, scowling and about to tell Osamu off, when the guards brought in a young girl, she couldn't be much older than thirteen. She looked around fearfully at the many pairs of eyes leering at her, the hidden smirks coming to the surface. "Too bad, you're staying anyway," the doors were closed and locked and Sheik found he couldn't turn away from the girl. Sonja, not able to move either, put an arm around Sheik, shaking slightly.

The girl was tossed in front of Rosalie, who flicked her wrist and sent the girl into the air. The girl screamed and whimpered, but the teachers and few guards laughed as she tried to struggle free of Rosalie's magical grasp. Suddenly, Rosalie turned her hand and the girl screamed louder as she was held by her hair, dangling above them like a ragdoll. Sheik was finally able to take his eyes away when her ankle was tugged and the sound of ripping flesh filled the room. He could feel his eyes burning when the thud came through the laughter. When he looked, he would never be able to forget that sight, the girl's decapitated head hung in the air, her body limp on the ground as the head's eyes were open, tears on the cheeks before the head was dropped and rolled into the shadows. "Go throw her remains into some soup for those Hylians," Osamu ordered, smirking sadistically. "That should be a good final meal."

"You are sick in the head!" Sonja yelled, not caring to wipe her tears as Sheik stood there as if he were a statue. "Killing someone, and going to make others eat them? That's cannibalism! And they won't even know it! They'll think its wild boar or something!"

"That's the idea," Osamu said, shrugging. "Well, who's hungry?" he asked, the guards left as did the teachers, who casted a long glare at the stunned Sheik.

"Come on, Sheik, let's go fine Master, we need to get out of here," Sonja murmured through gasps of breath, jerking Sheik to make him come out of his daze. He should have done something to save that poor girl! He hated feeling so helpless!

"Sonja, if you leave with him, I can no longer call you my daughter," Osamu said, smiling as if he thought she would take his side.

"I haven't been your daughter for many years, Osamu," Sonja said back before leading Sheik out of the courtroom with her arm around him. "It's going to be okay Sheik, who needs these snobs anyway?" she tried to cheer him up.

Sheik didn't even hear her, his thoughts were too far gone. That poor, poor girl. Those poor Hylians. They'll unknowingly eat one of their own, they're probably all starving, and then they'll be sent into the Chamber, one of the most brutal of tortures and finally death. Sonja led him out, in her own sort of daze, except her's was in goal of getting her younger cousin out of there before anything could happen to him. "Master will help us, he'll know we're truthful with our words," she kept whispering, as if praying that their Master wouldn't turn his back on them like the teachers had.

They came to Master Hitoshi's house and Sonja knocked. It didn't take long for the man to come to the door, and one look at the two told him all he needed to know. "When do we go?" he asked.

"Now," Sonja said sadly. They snuck into the stables, got their horses, and took off before the news spread. Sheik was banished from the Sheikah Tribe, and he was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, his cousin and Master, the last weapon of his father's, and the memories of Rosalie's lies and betrayal. All three turned in their saddles to look at their old home, all sad for leaving. Sheik didn't even get to tell Naoko.

"I'll go back in a week, saying I was just getting supplies. I will retire from being a Master and keep an eye on Osamu for you two," Master Hitoshi said as they traveled on through the night. "And I'll report any news that he tells. I can only hope he doesn't banish me as well."

"He won't, if Osamu banishes one of the greatest Masters in Sheikah history, then even the high council will protest. He can strip you of your Rank, but he can't actually kick you out," Sonja explained before turning to Sheik. "But what do you think got up Rosalie's ass and died?"

Sheik sighed, feeling as if someone had just ripped his heart in two. He didn't think that when people say they have their heart broken, that they meant it felt like a real pain. "I…don't know. I…I thought…" Sheik trailed off, looking up at the stars. "What did I do wrong?"

"Don't blame yourself, Sheik, you could never stand up to Osamu, he has too many people on his side," Master Hitoshi said. "All we can do is wait it out for the right time, and hope he doesn't kill anymore Hylians."

"How can we possibly wait it out?" Sheik asked, suddenly feeling enraged.

"We will have to wait for help from a certain person, but I don't think they are ready for what's ahead of them yet," Master Hitoshi said, looking back at the Palace. "I'll do as you wish, old friend, I will try to protect her."

"Protect who, Master?" Sonja asked.

He looked at Sonja, who still had puffy red eyes and tears staining her face, then to Sheik, who was so deep in thought and anger that he was reopening some cuts on his hands. "You'll find out someday. Let's go, we need to get out of the desert by daybreak."

"And after that, we lived off what we could. We traveled and never stayed in the same place more than a few days at most, and only once did we ever stay in one place. It feels like it was so long ago, but really, it was only two-almost three-years since all that happened," Sheik finishes, staring at the stone wall in front of him.

Link is looking at the ground, feeling her eyes burning. Sheik didn't deserve to go what he went through. '...I'm really sorry for asking…but did those Hylians really die?' her thoughts are quitter than normal.

Sheik looks over his shoulder at her and sees she's crying. "Sadly yes, Master told me and Sonja that Osamu went through with his word. Those people died in the Chamber." Link nods. "Link…do you hate me?" she looks at him in shock. "I was so powerless against Osamu, I didn't even get a chance to stop Rosalie from killing that girl. My people hate you, just because of what race you are, and I hate myself for being part of them."

He forces himself to look away from those tear-filled, ocean blue eyes and lets his head fall before closing his eyes. He suddenly feels something small, scratched and soft in his hand and looks down to see Link's hand intertwined with his, the Triforce feels warm as he traces his thumb on the back of her hand as he looks up at her face. She's smiling sadly, but there's still that warm, happy, innocent glint in her eyes. 'I could never hate you,' she thinks, making Sheik smile. 'And Rosaliar is a horrible person for ever hurting you, she doesn't know that she's missing out on such a great guy.'

"I'm not that great," Sheik muttered, not taking his eyes off of hers.

'Sheik, you're the most amazing man I've ever known,' she thinks sincerely. 'And Rosaliar, or anyone who's ever hurt you, isn't worth thinking about.'

"I would think Rusl would be the most amazing man you'd ever know," Sheik jokes.

'He's the most amazing father-figure,' Link smiles, happy to see Sheik not thinking about his past as much. 'Sheik…what's gunna happen now?'

Sheik sighs, his eyes flicking towards the door. "Rosalie will come back, to see if I'm ready to 'apologize' to Osamu. But I'm not going to leave you again."

'But Sheik, that might be the only way to get out of here,' Link thinks, swinging her legs in her chair (the chairs are a bit tall for her), and tightening her hold on his hand. 'Even if I suffer a little longer, maybe that will give you enough time to think of something.'

"How could I leave you?" Sheik asks, tightening his own hand. "Rosalie will be even harsher towards you now."

'This is our only chance. I know you'll hate it, but you need to 'forgive' Osamu. Sorry,' Link looks down, letting her hand go limp so Sheik can let go. To her surprise, he holds her hand even tighter, but it's not a hard hold, it's like their hands were made for each other. No! Stop thinking that, Link. You're good friends! That's all!

…Right?

Sheik sighs, he knows Link's right, that's why it's going to be that much harder to leave her. They turn their heads at the same time and look at each other's face, noticing some things neither had spotted before. Link notices that Sheik has more ruby red eyes, instead of the deep crimson colour of when they first met, maybe his eyes change slightly according to who he's with. She also notes that he has a few, light freckles on his nose and forehead, but they're hard to see. Sheik sees, from behind Link's black eye and sunburn, that her eyes have a light, purple tinge to them when the light shines on them, and he sees that her eyes are deeper blue than he first thought, but somehow they're surprisingly light, with childish wonder and curiosity, but also with a fierce fire and warrior's spirit. It is also worth noticing that her bangs are starting to fall into her eyes, giving her a cute, rugged look.

"You know, I never noticed before, but you have got to be the most beautiful young woman I have ever met," Sheik says without thinking, making Link blush the deepest shade of red imaginable.

'R-really? You think I'm…beautiful?' she asks, no one has ever called her that before. Uli has, but that was different. The way Sheik says it, it makes Link feel…_more_ than just the family love she has for Rusl, Uli and Ilia.

"Absolutely," Sheik nods, now thinking, but backing up what he said. He doesn't feel afraid to admit it anymore.

'What about Rosaliar from the past?'

"She became an ugly kid the moment I heard her suggest using the Chamber," Sheik mutters.

'Right…' she thinks. They stare into each other's eyes, although a bit awkwardly, since they're back-to-back. 'Hey, have you ever tried speaking with me through mind?'

"What?" the question catches Sheik off guard.

'You can hear my thoughts, maybe I can hear yours. That way, if we need to be quiet, you can still tell me stuff,' Link thinks.

Sheik raises an eyebrow to himself. That…is a very smart plan. "Alright, but I'm not sure if it will work. So if it doesn't, don't feel disappointed," he warns.

'Okay,' Link nods and waits patiently.

Sheik closes his eyes. How does he hear Link? It's sort of like hearing the aftermath of an echo, yet at the same time, he can hear the source of the 'echo' and can hear what her voice _would_ sound like if she could talk. He focuses, Link can speak telepathically much easier than him, he already knows this, but it will be harder for him, since it's natural for him to speak.

'Link?' he tries, but nothing happens. 'Can you hear me?'

Hmm, maybe he has to really want to speak to her. He thinks of all they've been through, all the happy moments they shared, like when he was nursing her back to health, when they were travelling with each other in the Temple of Jabu-Jabu, when they were fighting those Redeads, when they danced, and the few moments when they hugged. 'Link?' her ears perk up and she smiles, unseen by Sheik. 'Is it working?'

'Yep!' Sheik opens his eyes and looks at her.

'You're serious?' he asks.

'Uh-huh,' she nods. 'Now it will be easier to 'talk' when people are around!'

Suddenly there's a squeak and Sheik looks at the top of Link's head to see a rat poke out of her nest of hair. "Link?"

'Yeah?'

"Why is there a rat on your head?" she crosses her eyes and looks at her forehead, as if trying to see it, and smiles.

'This is Rouge, he's my cell buddy.'

"Cell buddy?"

'He kept me company after Rosaliar was done with me,' she explains as Rouge the Rat sniffs the air.

"I hope you'll be alright once she comes back."

'Me too, but I doubt it. She seems to hate me for some reason.'

"I noticed by the way she looked at you, she loathes you. I think she's…jealous of you for something."

'Who'd want to be jealous of me?'

"I wouldn't know," Sheik shrugs a little. They hear the sound of keys rattling and Sheik reluctantly lets go of Link's hand as Rouge hides back into her hair. The door opens and Rosalie walks back in, smirking once more.

"Well? Have you thought about apologizing to your uncle?" she asks, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I have thought long and hard. I want to apologize for my rash diction to challenge him," Sheik says.

Rosalie smiles, "I knew you would come around. Guards, untie him!" she turns and orders. "He will need to reclaim his rightful place in the Palace. And bring that creature to Master Osamu later, our Emperor wishes to speak to him," the guards cut the ropes and grab Link as Sheik stands. He casts a last look at her as she's dragged back into the dungeons. She gives him a small, encouraging smile before the doors slam behind them. "Come along, Sheik. Master Osamu will probably let you move up a Rank even," Rosalie says and starts walking.

Sheik glances back at the door. Ranks don't matter anymore, the only thing that matters is getting Link out of here. He felt something when he had talked to Link telepathically, he felt his heart swell with happiness. It is a wonderful feeling. He feels so much closer to Link now that he told her about what happened, he doesn't feel as angry, since she sat, listened and forgave him for not saving that girl. How she could forgive him that easily, how she could never hate him, it made Sheik lightheaded with relief. Link truly is an amazing person, and Sheik can't help but smile at the thought of her. She's no longer just a hero to him, like she had been when they first met, she is just Link. His greatest friend, beside Naoko, and the only person he has ever told his past to. Butterflies swarm his stomach at the thought of Link's eyes and face, his eyes shine at the thought of her laugh. Sheik's smile grows, unseen by Rosalie, as his cheeks turn a light shade of red. Heat rises on his face as he looks down, his heart is beating in his chest so loudly, can anyone else hear it? It doesn't matter if they could, Sheik is finally not scared to admit it anymore; he can't keep living in denial.

He loves Link.

Gery: How many of you are in a tizzy from that last line? Ha, did you think Sheik would remain in denial forever? Not a chance. He's now realizes his feelings for out little hero, but will he ever admit it to her? You'll have to wait and see ;). Well, hope you enjoyed learning Sheik's past! See ya!


	20. Chapter 17

To alemery: Yes it is, but Sheik is smart enough to know when he's fighting a losing battle. And yes, it will be getting more awkward for him, considering Link doesn't even really know what she's feeling. P.S. Always ;)

To LOZ-fangirl: That's great! Aww, thank you. I don't classify myself as the 'best', but thanks for the complement! I'll try!

To Shiro: Yeah, the whole story-telling of Sheik's past wouldn't have been more enjoyable to write if Link didn't keep interrupting. And yes, Rouge wins over all! The cell buddyness shall always be! Thank you. Yep, took him long enough, didn't it? Oh yes, it will take Link _much_ longer to figure out her feelings for our favorite Sheikah.

To Zelda's Spirit93: No kidding, right? I knew I'd make Sheik quit being in denial before Link figured out her feelings, and I thought I'd put it here, since he was talking about the 'butterflies' around Rosalie, and he realized then that he was in love with our heroine. Thank you, I was waiting forever to write that chapter, because I like Sheik's character, and he needs to have more of a spotlight. He doesn't even have much of a background in the Manga. Well, we all hate Rosalie, but Osamu was truly the person who corrupted her, since he's her Master after all, it was easy for him to manipulate her into hating Hylians, doing all those bad things, etcetera, etcetera. Well, he is sick, that's who he is, he's a spiteful, horrible ruler and his people fear him, that's why they hate Hylians too. Oh, don't worry, he will, he will *grins evilly*, he is getting his payback in a _much_ more brutal way, I know _exactly_ what I'm going to do as I type this *taps fingertips together and laughing manically* I'm thrilled too ^_^. But no, Link won't figure it out for a while, she's oblivious like that. See ya!

To TheZeldaGmer: Really? It's your favorite? Thank you! And you got an account just to say that? I didn't think that someone would make an account just to say they like a story. Thanks so much!

Chapter 17: Mistress Rosaliar?

-Link's POV-

As I sit in the cell again, humming to myself, I think about what Sheik told me about his past. By the sounds of it, he hasn't told anyone about it really. I guess he had no one to tell, since both Sonja and Hitoshi already know about the whole thing. I'm so happy he can trust me with that. I find it almost hard to believe that he actually told me. I feel so much closer to him now.

But how Rosaliar and Osamu could do that to him is beyond me. Anyone with eyes, or even a quarter of a brain, could see that Sheik would never do that. Heck, I've only known the guy for, what? Three weeks now? And already I know he wouldn't want to control a throne, he seems to prefer freedom and to do whatever he wants. I swear to Din, Nayru, Farore, Lune and any other God or Goddess up there that Rosaliar and Osamu are going to _pay_ for what they did to Sheik, and I'll make it the most horrible death possible, I'll hurt them all right, but not enough to kill them, no. I'll make them _beg_ to be killed, to be put out of their misery. They will never, ever hurt Sheik again if I have anything to say about it.

I blink to myself, since when did I think so dark? I feel as if it's my duty to protect Sheik, the same way he's been protecting me all the time. I smile to myself, no matter what happens, I'll always protect Sheik, even with my life if I have to. I couldn't live with myself if I let him get hurt because of me.

'Why am I so protective of Sheik?' I cross my eyes and look at my forehead, as if I can see Rouge on my head. The small rat pokes out and looks down at me as if he heard me. 'I mean, I'm protective of all my friends, but I feel as if I _need_ to protect him, not just something I want to do.'

He blinks his beady eyes before running his paws and forearms over his face, cleaning it. Aww, that's too cute, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I chuckle at him, at least my cell buddy can keep my spirits up. But why Osamu wants to speak to me is weird. My eyes grow wide. He's not gunna send me into that Desert Chamber thing, is he? Would Sheik even let him? No! Don't think of that! That Chamber is not to be thought of for the rest of my life!

From what I gather, Osamu is a racist son of a goat that is bent on making Hylians extinct for some reason, and will go to any and all means to get rid of them. But what has he to gain from doing that? What's his goal? Whatever it is, I'll need to be careful around him, if I make one wrong move, it could be the last thing I ever do. 'I need to do as they say and follow whatever orders they want from me, if I fail to do that, Osamu will be on the throne 'til the day he dies, then Rosaliar will take over after him, no doubt, since she's his apprentice.'

"Link, are you crazy?" I jerk my head up to see Navi fly in through the bars, I didn't know she was here too. "I passed by Sheik a while ago and he told me what happened, you're going to risk yourself so recklessly?"

'Navi, it was either going to be just me or both of us. I had to tell Sheik to go or there'd be nothing we could do to stop Osamu.' This calms Navi down a bit, but she's obviously not relieved.

"It's still crazy. Do you hurt anywhere?" she asks, landing on my shoulder.

'I hurt everywhere. Rosaliar tortured me in here and I would be dead by now if Sheik hadn't shown up,' I suppress a shiver at the thought of all that magic used on me.

"I could heal you a bit. Granted, I'm not as skilled as Healing Fairies, but I can heal minor wounds," Navi suggests.

'No, Rosaliar will know if I'm the least bit healed, and if she finds out I have outside help, she might hurt you,' I think.

"Don't you ever think about yourself? Do you ever let someone else help you, and not the other way around?" she asks. I look down. That's answer enough for her. "Link, you need other people's help as well. I know you like helping others, but if someone else helps you, you feel as if you're useless. I saw that frustration you had when you were a pup, you kept getting angry whenever someone helped you do something. You're not useless, Link, everyone needs help once in a while."

I know that, I know what she's saying is true, but I can't help it. If someone asks for help, I give it, but when someone does something for me, I can't help but feel like I'm not capable of it. I guess it's just normal for me, since I've helped other people all my life; it's different when someone helps me instead. Thankfully Navi drops it and I see something dangle in front of my eyes. The Kokiri Stone? "I thought this might be helpful," Navi says as I take it, the guards had left my hands untied, instead they decided to chain my foot to the floor. I slip it over my head and tuck it under my tunic.

Rouge squeaks and jumps from my head to land on my leg, to Navi's surprise. "Link, why did a rat just jump out from you hair?"

'That's Rouge, he's my cell buddy,' I grin goofily. Navi just looks from me to Rouge and back to me.

"You make the most bazar friends…"

'And one of them's a blue fairy,' I laugh when she flicks my nose with her wing, tickling me.

"Stop being so cheeky. I need to leave for now, from what I gather from you and Sheik, Rosalie will know if I'm around you. Wish you luck for later," she says and flies out. I lean my head on the wall and pat Rouge absentmindedly, staring at the ceiling with unfocused eyes.

It seems like only a minute passes when I hear keys rattling and I look at the cell bars to see the _charming_ guards from earlier walk in. Crap, gotta go see Osamu now. "You're coming with us, so keep still and don't try to escape, we aren't below beating you, kid," one guard hulls me to my feet harshly by the back of my tunic and I find myself dangling from his hand, my feet at least a foot away from the floor. This guy's mocking me, isn't he? From the smirk on his ugly face, I guess it's a 'yes'.

After being carried through the castle by Ugly and Uglier, I'm tossed in front of Osamu. These guys like tossing people in front of this guy, don't they? I keep my head down, remembering my place, and try to calm my heart, which is beating like crazy. I'm not surprised if someone hears it. "Raise your head," he commands. I force back a sigh and obey, looking up at the cruel man. "So, now that you have had time to be broken, I believe I have the perfect position for you. Most Hylians die in the first few hours with Rosalie, so you must be something special. That's the last thing I need. I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're worried about. I only kill those who are old, frail, and weak. You are none of these, so you have your uses." I try not to shiver. Maybe it's a good thing he doesn't know I'm a girl, 'uses' doesn't sound so good. "Since you seem to be stronger willed than most, you will be put into slavery," I feel blood drain from my face. "But not just any slave, you'll become a personal slave."

"Of me," Rosaliar steps out from the shadows, smirking at the terrified look I give her. "While you are my slave, you will do anything and everything I say, without complaint. Of course, it's not like you could do that anyway," she smiles over-sweetly and pulls my ear harshly. "So, stay still so I can claim you as my own," she pulls back my head by my hair and I feel her place a hand on my collar bone before a hot pain touches my skin, as if someone has stuck a hot poker onto my shoulder. But there's no smell of burning flesh, it's as if I'm not really getting burned, more like I'm getting some painful drawing on my skin by a knife. She soon finishes and steps back to admire whatever work she did on me. "I must admit, this is one of my better marks. Now if you don't do what I say, you'll feel pain enter your body," she says with a cheerful smile. Oh Goddess, I think she's more insane than I thought.

She claps her hands. "Alright, slave, get to your feet. I have a few ground rules that you will need to follow," I get up and stand straight, making sure not to show anymore fear. That's what she feeds off of. "Ooh, acting brave, are we? This will be fun. Now, first rule, if you so much as think about escaping, then I will have everything in my right to kill you. Second, if you disobey my orders or hesitate to do what I ask, then you will suffer the consequences. And three," she grabs my tunic and pulls me face into hers, making my feet hover over the ground, "don't think you'll be treated like a guest. If I say you're no better than a dog, you're no better than a dog." I can't help but think about how ironic that sounds. "Now, these gentlemen will take you to the Slave Chambers. Be sure not to harm him too badly," she says to them as they drag me off. "I don't want to find him useless after all."

"Yes, my lady," one guard bows his head.

I hear a squeak and look down to see Rouge running after me and scurrying up my leg and into my tunic. Well, at least I'll have my cell buddy!

I look at the guards, maybe I can bug them on the way to the Slave Chambers. I stare at one guard's face until he looks at me. "What do you want?" he asks rudely. I just keep staring at his face, unblinking, which I had learned to do from raising Rocky. If you blinked too much when in eye contact with the dragon, he didn't trust you and would attack. This unnerves the man, and I fight, and succeed, to keep a straight face while he starts to fidget. "Stop looking at me like that!" he finally yells, irritated.

"Ignore him," the other guard says. "He'll soon get that smirk wiped out of his eyes."

Dammit. Stupid eyes, always giving away my thoughts. It's bad enough some people can read my thoughts, but to know what I'm thinking by just my eyes? That's just mean and stupid. Despite that, the guy still looks unnerved and breaks eye contact with me. Ha! I am victorious!

"Hey, did you hear the news about Sheik? Apparently he was let back in my Osamu. If I was the old man, I would have tossed that kid into the desert and let him rot."

"You'd better show respect to the Emperor, he might be getting old, but he still has a few tricks. He can do whatever he wants with the snap of his fingers or a flick of his wrist. It doesn't matter how high we are, he'll always outrank us, so shut your trap and quit saying how you would runs things." I blank out for a moment as the guards start to bicker. It's funny seeing grown men act like children.

I'm brought back into reality when they open a wooden door and toss me in. I stumble and turn to the door to see it slam in my face, but this place isn't dark, in fact, it's really bright. I look up to see there's no roof and the sun shines right in my eyes, making me wince and lower my head, squinting. This is a switch from the dungeons. I hear a laugh and see a shadow cover me from behind. I turn away from the door to see a man standing there, and he's all muscle. Oh boy. "What have we got here? Fresh meat?" he laughs and puts an arm around me, pulling me painfully into his side. I try to get away, but he just walks forward and practically drags me over to three other men, they all look like him. "Hey guys, look at this kid!" he pushes me forward and I trip over my own feet, landing on my face. I get to my hands and knees, feeling my face burning as they laugh. "Isn't he tiny?"

"I've never seen a kid this small before," another man says as I get to my feet. "What's your name kid?" he asks, standing up and making me feel really small. When I don't answer, he growls. "Come on, tell us your name," he pushes me back and I stumble on my feet, luckily I stay up. He keeps pushing me back, pestering me for my name until he backs me into a wall and pushes me into it, making more bruises form on my shoulders.

"Let the kid go, Roger," I'm dropped and my head hits the ground. I sit up and hold the back of my head as I look up to see a man coming over. He has messy, dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He walks passed Roger and smiles at me, a strange youthfulness in his eyes. "Come on, you need to get out of the sun," he helps me up and takes me over to a small shelter made of thin animal hide. "Just ignore those men, they've been here so long they've gone mad," he advices, sitting down in the shade. He pats the straw next to him and I sit down, giving him a small smile. "I've never seen someone so young become a slave before, and I've been here for about three years. But who's counting? My name's Charlie," he grabs my hand and shakes it. Charlie? Is he the same guy Sheik mentioned? "I guess you can't tell me your name, huh? Or did you just not want to talk to Roger and his brothers?" I tap my throat and shake my head. "I thought so. Hmm…until I know you're name, I'll call you Little Beast," he ruffles my hair, chuckling as I glare at him. "Too late, you're Little Beast now. How old are you?" he asks, still smirking.

I draw in the dirt, messily scribbling 'almost eighteen'. He looks at me in amusement. "Really, now?" I nod. "Could have fooled me, I thought you were fourteen," I cross my arms, grumbling. "Wait, lift your head," I look at him raising an eyebrow at the request. He lifts my head himself and looks at my neck, clicking his tongue when he sees something. "So you're a personal slave. You're marked by Rosalie, I assume?" he lets go and I nod. He sighs sadly. "I've been the personal slave of Osamu for this whole time," he pulls down the collar of his ragged shirt, I see a small, coal black Sheikah Mark. I guess mine looks the same, but maybe a different colour. "Yours is silver, which is the Rank Rosalie is in. When you become a personal slave, you get marked with the Sheikah Sign of the one you work for. Now, I have to give some advice, no matter how much you hate it, do what Rosalie says. It's not worth the punishments your new 'mistress' gives. And do all you can, she won't work you enough to kill you." I nod, I'll need to remember that. "On a happy note, at least we don't have to be alone with those morons!" Charlie says enthusiastically. I look at the four brothers and nod, much better.

Then Rouge decides to make his presence known and comes out of my tunic, sniffing the air. His ears flatten on his head and he hides on my shoulder, still under my tunic. "Well, seems you have a friend," Charlie says. "Reminds me of my sister, animals loved her," he has a sad, faraway look in his eye, and I see a bit of moister form at the edges of his eyes. I tilt my head at him, trying to ask if he's okay. He looks at me and blinks his eyes, trying to keep the tears back. "I'm fine. I just miss her, she was…she was my twin," he looks away, biting his lip. "We didn't look much alike, and we used to fight all the time, but we loved each other. The only thing that makes us look similar is our hair, but mine's too messy. My sister was lucky, she just had wavy hair," I see tears start to roll down his cheeks. Not knowing what to do exactly, I shuffle a little closer to him and put a hand on his leg, giving him a soft smile when he looks at me. "Sorry, I haven't thought about her for a long time, whenever I did, I thought of what was, not what is. Have any brothers or sisters?" he asks. I make a so-so motion with my hands. Ilia's my sister in all but blood. "I see, so really you're an only child, but you have a close friend, right?" I blink, I've never had someone who could tell what I'm saying by just my hand movements. "So, Little Beast," I glare at him, "you should get some rest. You look pretty worn out," he says.

'I'm not that ti-' my thought is interrupted by a yawn. Okay, I won't protest. I lie down on my side and feel Rouge come out of my tunic. I open my eyes to see him curled up in front of my face, his head turned to me. I smile a bit and close my eyes, falling asleep quickly like usual.

-Sheik's POV-

I pace my old room, trying not to pull my hair out. Rosalie just came back from the court room, she's made Link her personal slave. This is bad, no, this is horrible! If Link makes one mistake, it could mean any punishment from the cells to the Chamber. I quicken my pace. No, I won't let that ever happen. Not to her. Not to anyone. The only person who deserves that fate is Osamu, but what can I possibly do? I can't trick him into going in, and it needs to be Sonja who fights him in the end. She's the rightful one to take over the Sheikah after Osamu. I need to think of a plan to get Sonja here, undetected, and save Link. She's counting on me and believes I'll save her. And I will, I promise her and myself that. But how can I do that? I want her to be out of here by her birthday, which is in two weeks, so I need to act quickly.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that," I look at the door to see it closed. Who said that? "Pst, over here," I hear stone grind and look at the wall beside the bookshelf to see a tunnel showing itself, Naoko standing in the exit. "You didn't think I would let you stay in this Din's Hellhole alone, did you?" he grins, walking out and pushing the bookshelf in front of the hole. "You can only open it from one side," he says. "So, what's the rundown? All I know is that you aren't in exile anymore."

I explain to him what happened, and I _may_ or _may not_ have let it slip that Link's a girl. If anyone asks, Naoko figured it out on his own. "So, she's risking herself as a slave so you can get Osamu out of his position?" Naoko asks.

"Yes."

"You're girlfriend's crazy," I choke on air.

"What?" my voice cracks, I thought I was over these things.

He laughs, leaning on the wall beside the bookshelf. "So, she's not?" he asks, snickering.

"No," I shake my head.

"But you want her to be."

"No…" I lie, but fail.

"You like her."

"Yes. I think I do. But she probably doesn't feel the same way. She's got enough on her shoulders at the moment, she can't have time to feel anything for me," I say.

"Maybe she does."

"How will I find out? I just can't ask her if she likes me, one, she'll think I mean as friends, and second, if I go any further, it might get awkward between us."

"It'll probably be awkward anyway, with you knowing you love her and her not having any idea."

"I know, but for now, it's better this way. Well, putting that aside, I need to get her out of here. Rosalie will kill her if she messes up even once."

"Rosalie holds that big a grudge on her?"

"Sadly enough."

"Yep, Rosalie's jealous."

"Of what?"

"Of you and Link. She hates how close you two are, considering you only met three weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear each other's thoughts."

"Then don't be when I tell you that that's true."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, I could hear her thoughts from the beginning, basically, and I found she could hear me today."

"You mentioned her being mute, I can see why you could hear her first; we're all used to talking."

"I know."

"So, any plans?"

"Not so far. I'm drawing a blank. I can't just go in there and help her, I'll probably be killed, but I can't let her get hurt."

"Hmm…I know," Naoko snaps his fingers. "I'll go get your Master, and send a messenger hawk to Sonja. We'll need all the help on our side as we can get. And maybe I can talk to some of the guys down at the bakery."

"Well that's a start. Alright, I need to get going, Osamu wants to talk to me," I sigh.

"Good luck," he pushes the bookshelf out of the way and closes the path behind him.

"I'll definitely need it," I mutter.

I come to the throne room to see Osamu sitting tall on the throne, as if nothing can knock him down. I keep my face blank and bow to him. "Ah, Sheik, I am very pleased with you apologizing to me for trying to rise against me. I know it was just a youthful spur of the moment, so you are forgiven," I feel my eye twitch. "Now, you may take personal lessons under your old Master," he's behind on the times, isn't he? "Also, I want you to stay here and keep an eye out for any assassins. More and more have attempted to kill me as of late." Good riddance.

Reluctantly, I stand beside Osamu, hands behind my back and feet spread at shoulder length. I need to at least pretend I want to follow him. "Rosalie should be here soon, she already has plans for the creature," Osamu smiles gleefully. "Speaking of creatures, guards! Bring my slave here, now!" he orders. Slave? He has another one? Or is this the same one from a few years ago?

"Yes, Emperor," the guards bow and leave.

"Sheik, do you still care for those creatures?"

Yes, I care about those _people_. "I'm not fond of them, but I don't despise them. As long as they don't do anything to me, I'm content to be around one."

"I like your answer." Great, the only time he can praise me is when I hate on Link's race. "Do you think they deserve to live?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, you're the Emperor, after all." My mouth is so dry, it's like someone poured sand into my mouth.

"Indeed. Well, we are on the verge of finding the home of those creatures," I perk up a bit at that. Home? "My spies are gathering information from all over Hyrule, and we are very close to finding where they live. We know they live in the forest on the other side of the desert, where I burnt down that house of that one family." I feel rage burn through me, so it was Osamu who did that. Master's suspicions were right.

The guards come back, guiding a man in with the tips of their spears pointing into his back. He walks calmly, his face is in a hardened mask, but I can see a glint in his eyes. A sort of happy, hopeful glint that is like a small flame. Something happened to make that happen, being under Osamu's orders kills any flames. "You summoned me, Master?" the man, who I realize is the same man from years ago, bows on his knee.

"Yes, go clean the stalls of my men's horses. They're patrol is soon, and they will need to be ready. But they can't possibly do it themselves, so you will get them ready."

"I think you should get my slave to help," Rosalie steps in from the other side of the throne. I didn't even see her. "He needs to start his labours."

"You mean that short kid, right?" Charlie asks. "He's right out tuckered, he won't be able to work very well at the moment. Fell asleep before his head even hit the straw."

That's just how Link normally is. I'll be worried when it takes Link more than ten minutes to fall asleep.

"Does it look like I care? Guards, take my slave to the stables, he'll tack up the horses."

"Yes, miss," they left again, dragging Charlie out.

I hope Link will be alright. I think she'll be safer now that I know this man's still around, maybe he can help her out.

-Link's POV-

I am rudely awakened from my nice nap by the guards picking me up. I was having such a nice dream, though! It was about…I can't remember. How come I can never remember good dreams? It's stupid.

They take me out of the castles and to a smaller building that looks like stables; they're beside another building that looks like they could be the barracks. I'm pushed into the stables and they make a short order at me to saddle up the horses. Awesome, my first job as a slave is to do something I love to do.

I walk into the center of the stables and look over all the horses from a distance. Let's see…that grey one looks like he needs to be brushed. I grab a brush sitting on top of a barrel and take a bucket of water over to the horse. I look him in the eye and slowly walk up to him, my hand flat as I hold it palm up for him to sniff it. The hairs on his nose tickle my hand and he snorts before pressing his nose further into my hand. I smile as I scratch his nose. What a good horse. Whoever has you must be very proud.

"You have a way with animals," I look over my shoulder to see Charlie standing there, smiling. "Not many people have that gift." I shrug, picking up the water bucket and going into the stall, patting the horse's neck. "Well, it's nice to have help, I usually have to do this on my own."

I nod and start brushing, I have a feeling this is going to be a short afternoon.

For the next few hours, Charlie talks about the different tasks the other slaves have, what they're there for, and why they haven't died yet. "There's one thing we all have in common: we're stubborn, and have more to live for than this. We have our goals and our personal reasons to live. My reasoning for belief that I'll get out alive is still strong, and nothing is going to damper my spirits."

When we're finally finished saddling the horses, they all seem to like me and Charlie, a few Sheikah come in, all wearing armour. One of them's that Ryuu guy, and he walks up to the grey horse I had saddled. That man better have better treat that horse fairly. "You, slaves! Out of the way! I don't want to bother with you scum!" Ryuu shouts and mounts the grey horse, what happened to his other horse? We move out of his way as he and the other guards lead their horses out of the stables. So, now what do we do?

"We have to wait here until our 'Master' and 'Mistress' order the guards to take us in. It won't be too bad," Charlie says, sitting on a barrel of hay. Well, this is a good time for a nap. Hopefully I'll be able to have another good dream. I sit down in front of the hay and rest my head against it, dozing off in a second.

But I'm shaken out of the doze by Charlie. "You can't fall asleep, if you do, you might get in some trouble."

I nod and watch the door with unfocused eyes, just waiting for Rosaliar to come in and order me to do something that will probably break my back. The first thing I've done as a slave might be easy, but I have a feeling everything else I do will be much harder. I don't have to wait long, Rosaliar enters the stables, her face screwed up in disgust. Guess someone doesn't like it here. "You, slave, come with me. I have a job for you," she snaps. I stand and follow her, glancing at Charlie from over my shoulder. "Alright, the guards of the Palace are patrolling today, and you are going to clean their barracks," she tosses a broom and bucket at me, the bucket lands on my head somehow and I find myself on the ground, dizzy. "Get up!" Rosaliar uses the end of the broom to hit the bucket, and now my head hurts horribly. I scramble to my feet and lift the end of the bucket, she throws the broom back at me and I catch it, luckily. "Now, do as I say and don't leave those barracks until they're clean. It should take you…" she taps her chin with her fingers, "Until sunrise. So have fun," she pushes me into the barracks and slams the door behind me, locking it.

Well, it can't be that bad. I've been in the man's barracks before at Hyrule Castle, I had to help clean that too. I turn and my ears drop when I see the problem I have to deal with. Cats. Oh dear. They all stare at me, unblinking as they wait for me to move. Ever since the Twilight, it's like cats know I turn into a wolf, and they will attack me if I make sudden movements. Evil devil spawn. I tiptoe into the mess of clothes on the floor, as if doing so will make it so they won't swipe at me. I look down and go to pick up some tunics when a cat pops its head out of the pile, making me jump. It looks at me and I can see that smirk in its eyes. It's laughing at me right now, I can tell.

Be a good cat and go away, I don't want to kick you and have your friends go berserk. One cat jumps onto the bucket that's still on my head and I cross my eyes to glare up at it, growling. You'd better get off.

Then, with horrible, horrible timing, Rouge wakes up from his nap in my pocket and looks out, sees the cats, and hides back in after a full second of the cats staring at me.

…Crap.

Three hours. Three. Stupid. Hours. Before the cats grew bored of scratching and biting me. Rouge escaped the barracks, but that didn't stop the horde of cats trying to kill me.

And Zelda wonders why I hate them.

Covered in scratches, cuts and claw marks, I'm sweeping the floor, grumbling. The cats still watch me, and I'm almost done, but then the doors unlock and slam open. I look at the door to see a bunch of guards come in, laughing loudly and with the smell of ale and gin radiating from them. This won't end well. One man spots me and chuckles, stumbling over as I hold the broom up. "H-hey-hic-kid. Yer the new…eh…wha's the word 'gain? Uh…Slave! Yeah, yer the new slave…right?-hic-"

I nod slowly. "Well, ain't you a-hic-tiny li'l feller?" he steps up to me and I wrinkle my nose at his breath. This is why I don't drink. "Tha…that broooom-thingy ya gots is-buuuurp-bigger tha-than ya!" I wave my hand in front of my face. I think that burp could kill a skunk.

One of his other friends comes over, grabbing my hand and shaking it tightly. I yelp and tug, trying to get away. I can't feel my fingers! He finally lets go and I clench my hand. "Well…you should-should stay 'ere! We-we-we're gunna-hic-have-a-hic hic- have-a mer ta-ta drink! Drinks! They-they give ya great-great feelin's of them good thangs in life! They…they…" the man passes out, falling forward and face-planting at my feet. All I can be grateful about is that he didn't land on me.

I look around the barracks. Great, all that work and pain for nothing. I shake my head and pick up the bucket, heading towards the door. It was clean, but it's not my fault it's messy again. When I turn the doorknob, my neck suddenly burns. I let go of the knob and hold my neck, right on the spot where Rosaliar marked me feels warm, and is slowly cooling down. Does that mean I can't leave? I have to clean this all again with drunk men around?

This is going to be a very long night.

No matter how hard I try to clean, the drunken guards always make it ten times messier. I'd like to give up and rest, but the mark burns whenever I try to sit down or lean on a wall. Even when I lean on the broom standing up it starts to burn, so I can't even rest like that. I start to become woozy from the smell of barf, urine and other humanly smells that occur when people drink too much. The yelling and laughing is starting to irritate my ears enough for them to hurt, and I'm swaying on my feet from exhaustion. But the more I try to rest, the more the mark burns, and I'm sure there's a burn mark all around my neck, since when I rub the back of it, I feel my skin hot, sticky and raw.

All the while, the guards push me around, stumble into and onto me, step on my feet (one even steps on my back when I'm pushed over), and sometimes lift me over their heads and pass me around like a ball. They usually drop me. I can't even count how many times they've tried talking to me, just to burp in my face, wet their pants, or pass out in front of me.

It's a Goddess sent miracle when they all pass out eventually and I'm able to finish cleaning before sunrise. I try the doorknob again, and sigh in relief when the mark doesn't burn. I exit the barracks and stumble over to the stables, dropping the bucket and broom on the way. The last thing I remember is passing out just inside the stables.

I'm awoken by a kick to my gut, making me gasp and curl up into a ball, arms wrapped around me. I look up to see the outline of Rosaliar. She's smirking down at me. "Resting on the job? Tut tut, you shouldn't do that," she grabs me by my hair and tugs me to my feet. "Come on, I need you alive for my next command," I stumble after her, dreading the day to come.

She drags me to the Slave Chambers, flinging me into it. I feel a hand grab me before I hit the ground and glance up through my bangs to see Charlie. He looks worried. "I'll come by for you later, Slave," Rosaliar says and the echo of the door closing rings through my ears.

"You look horrible," Charlie says softly as he guides me to the hay pile. "Oh my…It looks like you've experienced the pain of not doing everything your 'mistress' wants," he sighs. "I was hoping you wouldn't have to live it."

I rub my neck gently, my skin is still a little raw, but it's healing on the edges. "I know how it feels. When you are on a job, you can't even rest for a second or the mark will burn you. I had no idea Rosalie would be so harsh on you your first day as a slave."

I should have figured, she seems to hate me. I lie down, putting my arms under my head.

-Third POV-

Charlie chuckles softly as Little Beast falls asleep. The poor kid must be worked to the bone, and judging by the smell, Charlie will say the kid had to clean the barracks when the guards were drunk. _Those guys really are useless,_ Charlie shakes his head. Charlie sits by Little Beast, leaning his head back against the back of the wooden wall and closing his eyes. He will have to help get Little Beast out, the kid is too young to be forced into the slave life, and Charlie will not see Little Beast dead before himself. With the way Rosalie is treating Little Beast, she'll kill the kid in the next week, if not sooner. He'll need to get the kid out before that happens. But the big question is how he will do so. He doesn't know if he can trust anyone in the Palace, so he'll be on the lookout when Osamu calls him to serve him.

Charlie hears a moan and opens his eyes to look down at Little Beast, the kid is shivering violently and seems to be plagued by nightmares. Charlie shakes the kid's shoulder and Little Beast wakes, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes. "Sorry to wake you, you looked scared," he says. "Listen, kid, I'm going to get you out of here. You don't deserve the life of a slave. Do you have any friends in the Palace?" Little Beast nods. "Good. Now, I'll be called to be a messenger boy for Osamu in a bit, while I'm out, I'll try and find your friend or friends. And try to think of happy things, that way, you won't get nightmares."

Yawning, Little Beast nods and tucks back into a ball, snoring quietly in a dreamless sleep.

Like Charlie had predicted, Osamu's guards come for him and bring him out of the Slave Chamber in their usual style, pointing spears at his back. "So, gentlemen, what does Master wish of me?"

"He wants you to work in the kitchens," 'Gentleman' 1 says gruffly.

"I see, what a lovely day to work in the kitchens! Time for rejoicing is upon us, gentlemen! For the Emperor's nephew has returned!" Charlie says enthusiastically.

"Shut up, you crazy idiot," 'Gentleman' 2 snaps. "You'll work in the kitchens and you won't enjoy it!"

"Whatever my Master wishes, I will not be held back from my excitement. Oh, have you heard? I know this may be just a rumour, but it's just so amazing! I heard from a very reliable source (the gentlemen snort at that) that the Hero of Hyrule is somewhere in this very city!"

"Hero of Hyrule? Yeah right. If he was, Emperor Osamu would know," 'Gentleman' 2 rolls his eyes.

"Oh yes, I don't doubt my Master's word. Nope. Not at all. But it is just some rumours buzzing around the hornet's nest," Charlie walks with a hop in his step, smiling stupidly.

"Keep your comments to yourself, slave," 'Gentleman' 1 says.

"The only man who can silence me is Master Osamu!" he sings off-key and scratchy, making the gentlemen cringe.

"Hey slave, two words. Shut. Up," 'Gentleman' 2 growls. "Say anything more and I'll be tempted to cut your tongue out!"

"That wouldn't be very nice. I'm sure Master Osamu loves having me as his little messenger boy-guy."

"How did we get stuck with this idiot?" 'Gentleman' 1 asks.

"I think Emperor Osamu has something against us," 'Gentleman' 2 says.

"Do you think it's because we couldn't find that one Hylian kid?" Charlie's ears perk up.

"Ooh, another Hylian? Do I know them?"

"Probably not. It was some kid we were looking for. I even looked in that stupid place to the South. What was it called? Ordan or something?"

"I believe you mean Ordon, good sir," Charlie corrects, getting intrigued by what they're saying.

"Whatever. That place is so small it can't even be considered a village. When I want there about eleven years ago, I came to this one house and this stupid kid wouldn't tell me if there was a Hylian there. All the kid did was hide behind the door. Bloody coward. Then he must've blocked the door from the inside, because when I tried opening it, it wouldn't budge."

"And you called this kid stupid. Oh look, gentlemen! We are at the kitchens! Thank you, you are such nice sirs to talk to," Charlie bows and goes into the kitchen, the goofy, idiotic look in his eyes vanishing when he closes the door behind him, replaced by a thoughtful, worried look. "One of them went to Ordon, huh? I wonder why they looked there, could she be there…?" he trails off, shaking his head. No. Obviously not, they didn't find her.

"Ah, Charlie, you're working with us today?" the head of the kitchens smiles, chopping some onions.

"You are a very manly man for not crying. Those things make my eyes sting when I even look at them," Charlie says, standing beside the bald man. "So, that rumour, about the Hero of Hyrule, is it true?"

"I'm positive. My predictions are never wrong," a young, grey haired woman comes in, putting a bucket of water on the ground beside the fire.

"That's only because the ring you have lets you see that 'Insightful Eye' of yours," the head of the kitchen says.

"You're just jealous, Herbert, that you don't have any magical properties at all," the woman smirks.

"I don't need magic to live, Willow. It's just a help in life," Herbert shrugs, putting the onion in the soup. "Now go get a Cucco, Osamu doesn't like waiting."

"He's already fat enough, he doesn't need any more feeding," Willow mutters before looking at Charlie. "So, that new slave of Rosalie's is a trooper, huh? Any and all others who have to clean the barracks when the guards are drunk usually fall asleep after the first hour."

"That kid's something alright," Charlie nods. "I have a feeling Little Beast will have a big role to play."

"Little Beast?" Herbert asks.

"What? That kid's tiny and has wolf eyes. What am I supposed to call the kid?"

"Doesn't he have a real name?"

"The kid can't talk."

"Oh, that's it."

"Quit chatting you two, we have a dinner to prepare!" Herbert snaps. "Charlie, go get some Cucco, and Willow, start to prepare the broth."

"Yes, Herbert," they roll their eyes in unison.

Charlie whistles as he comes out and bows to the gentlemen. "I was told to go get a Cucco, Gentlemen."

The 'gentlemen' look at each other, as if that's the last thing they want to do. Now they're going to have to deal with this crazy coot again.

Charlie rambles as the guards guide him to the Cucco pens, he just talks about random things that have nothing to do with anything. When they come down one corridor, Charlie locks eyes with a familiar man and shuts up. The guards notice this and look at who he spotted. It's just Hitoshi.

"So, Osamu's letting you back into the Palace again?" 'Gentleman' 1 asks, glaring at him.

"Yes, I am the only one who can teach Sheik, aren't I?" Hitoshi asks, glancing at Charlie ever so often.

"I suppose," 'Gentleman' 1 mutters.

"Where are you taking this slave?"

"To the Cucco pens."

"Well, I was going that way anyway. I will take him for you," Hitoshi offers.

"How do we know you won't let him go?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" the question makes 'Gentleman' 2 bite his tongue. "That's what I thought. No, you two enjoy yourselves, away from this idiot."

The gentlemen basically throw Charlie at Hitoshi. The blonde man waves his butt at the guards' backs. "Suckers," he snickers before looking at Hitoshi. "Hullo, old friend. Did I trust you right that you would find my niece?"

Hitoshi sighs. "I did, but not in the way you would want. Surly you have seen her."

"Have I?"

"I know you have. She's working here now, as a slave," Charlie's eyes go wide. No. It couldn't be…

"She's…a what?"

"Slave. Sheik told me she's a personal slave too."

"Personal…slave…" Charlie holds his forehead, feeling lightheaded. _Oh Goddesses, please, please tell me this isn't happening. Please tell me that's not her._

"Charlie!" Hitoshi catches the small man before he falls. "Have you seen her? Is she in your chamber?"

"I…I…I…" Charlie can't speak, his tongue feels dry. "Did Sheik tell you her name?"

"Yes, she is a friend of his. The lad wants to get her out by her birthday, or that is his goal, anyway."

"When?"

"Two weeks, the last week of autumn."

"Goddess, I…I can't believe this…Hitoshi, old friend, please tell me you're lying! Tell me!" Charlie pleads, feeling his eyes sting. It can't be, it just _can't_ be!

"I wish I was."

Charlie can't take it anymore, he faints.

-Link's POV-

I yawn as I wake up, I feel uneasy. Like when someone's looking at me. I look around, but none of the other slaves are present. I suddenly sneeze, my head jerking forward. I sniff and when I look up, I see Rosaliar standing in the open door, smirking. "Time for work, Slave."

Oh boy.

I follow behind her until we come to an armoury, some Sheikah are training with some practice dummies. "For your next job, you're going to fix every single weapon, dummy, armour, etc. You can't leave until it's finished, and if someone asks you to be a test dummy yourself, you must listen to them," Rosaliar smiles sweetly. I gulp. "Hope you have a horrible time," she waves and sits down on a bench. "You didn't think I would leave you like last time, did you? I want to be sure you do as I say."

I hope you burn in Din's Hell when you get there.

I go over to the weapon rack and groan, almost all of them are broken in one way or another. Better get to work. I grab a spear, ignoring my aching and stiff muscles, and I start fixing the splintered staff, not risking sitting down.

-Sheik's POV-

Well, I won't be able to help Link if I stay in here. I might as well go down to the training area and practice. As I head down, I bump into Master Hitoshi, who's half carrying/half dragging a blonde man along. "Um, Master?" I ask.

"Oh, Sheik, I see you're no longer wearing a hole in the floor. I would love to stop and chat, but my friend here needs a place to rest where Osamu can't find him. He apparently came to some conclusion about something, and I suspect what."

"And that is…?"

"About the only family he has left," Master Hitoshi goes into his old chambers and rests the man on the bed, I see he is Charlie.

"So he's still here?"

"Yes, I didn't know that until I saw him being taken to the Cucco pens with some guards. He seems to have gone…a little more than crazy under the orders of Osamu," Master sighs, shaking his head. "Either that or it's just an act for the guards."

"Well, be careful. Hey, where's Navi?" I ask, not seeing the fairy anywhere.

"She told me she's going to get Sonja, if anyone can help with this problem, it's her. Now, carry on with what you were doing, I can deal with Charlie."

"Okay, Master. Make sure Osamu doesn't catch you with one of his slaves," I advise and leave. I shouldn't worry, Master's no idiot.

I come to the training area to see Rosalie sitting on a bench, her legs crossed as she watches a Sheikah of the Blue Rank kicking a flour bag. I see that someone is holding the bag up, and their legs are shaking. "What's going on?" I ask her, she smirks.

"Oh nothing. My slave wasn't listening to me, so I'm making him hold that bag there," she nods to the flour bag.

'Sheik?' Link looks around the edge of the bag and smiles a little before the Sheikah kicks the bag, sending her back. 'Ouch.'

I wince, that looked like it had hurt. "What is he supposed to be doing?"

"Fixing the weapons, but he was doing such a horrid job," Rosalie shakes her head, looking disappointed.

'That's not true at all, she kept breaking them,' Link mind-grumbles as she kicks the flour bag off. I notice she's covered in scratches and has a red ring around her neck, the reddest part on her skin is surrounding a silver Sheikah sign. Rosalie. I suppress yelling at her.

"I didn't say you could stop," Rosalie says. "Pick that up and hold it or I'll put you in armour and tie you to a pole, then you can be a dummy yourself."

I see Link's hand twitch as Rosalie turns to talk to me. I fight to keep a straight face when Link flips Rosalie off behind her. "So, have you settled in fine?" she asks.

"I guess so. It's strange being back," I say, watching Link struggle to pick up the bag of flour.

"I would assume so. I'm very sorry that had to happen, Sheik. Can you forgive me?" she pouts her lips and flutters her eyes. I try not to scowl.

"Not quite yet, just give me time, alright?" I shouldn't have said that. I watch as her eyes flash scarlet before looking at Link.

"Slave! Come here!" she orders, tapping her foot impatiently. Link drops the bag and walks over, her head down. Once Link is standing in front of her, Rosalie slaps her across the face, her nails scratching her. "Go back to your job," Rosalie hisses as Link holds her cheek. Link nods timidly and runs back to the flour, picking it up. "The longer it takes you to forgive me, the harsher _its_ punishments will get. And it needs to be sincere, not just because you want me to stop."

'Sheik, forget about me. Remember, you gotta pretend to be on their side. I can take whatever she gives me,' Link grunts.

'I don't want you to get hurt…'

'It's not anything I can't handle. I defeated Ganondork, didn't I?'

I gulp, hating myself for this. "I don't care about what happens to that thing. It's not human, so it has no feelings or emotions. It's probably too stupid to even feel the pain," I feel like I'm going to be sick.

Rosalie's eyes brighten. "I see you've finally seen the truth. These vile creatures don't deserve any pity. They're just a waste of space. But I must say, they come in handy as slaves, since they're so stupid."

"Yes, I agree."

"Well, let's go Sheik. My slave can't leave until the weapons are all fixed, so it will only get burnt if it tries to leave," we walk out and I glance at Link, who gives me that cute, innocent smile, and I smile back before following Rosalie. "I know it's hard seeing such idiotic creatures being treated with such light tasks, but I don't know what to do with it. It can't deliver messages since it's too stupid to talk." She's mute, not stupid. "And I doubt she can even read." She might have a hard time with Modern Hylian, but she reads Ancient Hylian perfectly. "It could probably go down to the market and fetch me some potion ingredients...no, it won't know health from magic potion." She knows the difference. "I still need to think about it. You know Sheik, it's good seeing you again," Rosalie hugs me before walking off.

I hold my stomach. I feel horrible for what I said. What if Link gets worse punishments than she's gotten? It will be my fault. Oh Goddesses, all I can hope for is that Rosalie doesn't end up killing my Little Linky.

Oh, so now I'm referring her as mine and her nickname. I push the thought aside, I can't get distracted! Maybe I can visit her tonight, but I don't know where the Slave Chambers are, and which one she's stuck in. Life just got a lot more complicated.

I hear something from inside Master's room and press my ear to the door, wondering what he could be talking about and with who. "I can't believe it, I just can't. My niece is here after all. I wish I could have met her in better conditions. She's gotten so big, she's like the best mixture of her father and mother. She has Josh's smile and that fun, mischievous glint in her eyes, but she has such an innocent face, and her eyes have a youthful spark like I haven't seen since Amy died. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Hitoshi."

"You must calm, friend. If you blurt it out to her, she might not believe you. You will need to tell her when you see her next though, I fear Rosalie might hurt her too much in the near future."

"Well, Rosaliar is a little brat who needs someone to tan her hide. I don't care how old she is, somebody spank that brat."

Rosaliar? So Link's not the only one who came up with that.

"I know you're angry, but you must stay calm."

"Yeah yeah, you don't need to shove the meaning of your name down my throat, friend. Oh, we have a visitor!" I jump back as the door opens. Charlie's standing there, smiling like an idiot. "Well hullo there! Did you come to deliver the papers? I'll take 'em and stuff them down Rosaliar's throat!" this guy is crazy.

"Um, no, I'm here to see Master. Why is he still here and he is always this crazy?" I ask Master as I come in. Charlie closes the door and sits in a chair upside-down.

"He was about to leave, and it's only a bit of an act around anyone who's a Sheikah, he doesn't trust many," Master explains.

"Would you if they used you as a stepping stone? My back still hurts from my fatso Master," Charlie scoffs.

"Alright, we need to get those Cuccos, the feast won't wait you know."

"Feast?" I raise an eyebrow.

"In celebration of being close to finding where my people are," Charlie says, getting up to pace. "I'm not worried about my people, our home is very well protected from outsiders. Anyone who is suspicious can't even see our home through the invisible barrier we put up. And only a Hylian may enter. If someone is holding hands with a Hylian they can get in, because it's a sign of trust between the outsider and Hylian. What I'm worried about is if they use me or Little Beast as bait to get in. They'll probably use Little Beast, since the kid can't talk."

"Little Beast?" I ask.

"Yes," Charlie smiles goofily. "It's an old nickname I haven't used for a long time. I thought if fitted the kid well, since the kid's so small and has beast eyes."

"Are you talking about Link?"

His face goes solemn, as if I've just told him of his death sentence. "Link. So it's true. Little Beast is Link, and if Little Beast is Link, then that means what is said is true, the rumours are true and if the rumours are true, that means that we must protect the kid at all cost, if 'Master' Osamu finds out, he will kill the kid!" Charlie continues to rant as Master tugs his arm.

"Don't worry about it Sheik, everything will be fine. Go relax until the feast, we have plenty of time."

-Link's POV-

I feel my eyes grow heavier and heavier as I sharpen a sword. I jump when a bell rings, and frown. It's only six at night. I must still be tired from last night. I start to hum to myself as I put the sword down and pick up a spear. It's a lullaby song I remember from my good dreams, I think my mom sung it to me when I was a baby, but how I still remember it I have no idea. I can barely remember my childhood, how I can remember being a baby is beyond me. I yawn, making me stop humming and I can't help it, I fall asleep, becoming immune to the burning on my neck as my head falls and I close my eyes.

Like before, I'm woken by a kick to the gut. I fall off the rock I was sitting on and look up to see Rosaliar standing over me, hands on her hips and tutting. "Still sleeping on the job? You're starting to make me rethink my choice in making you my Slave," she pulls me to my feet by tugging my earring. "Alright, I have a perfect job for you, you're going to be serving as my slave tonight at the feast. You will get anything someone asks you and will even take a whip if we can't get entertainment, got it?" she tugs the back of my collar. I gulp, nodding quickly. "Good," she keeps pulling me and I'm forced to walk backwards. "For now, you'll go to the kitchens and help there. Just don't burn the food," she hisses. Hey, I just realized, her hisses sound like actually hissing, from a snake sounds most like it. It's kind of like how I actually growl.

I shake my head at the thought, that's just my imagination, it can get rather wild at times.

She brings me to the kitchens where a man and woman are working. "Got another slave to work with you, since that last Hylian went too crazy for work," she shoves me in and I'm luckily I catch the edge of a counter. I right myself and look at the door as it slams shut.

"Alright, new slave, go tend to the fire," the man says and I go over to the hearth. The fire's a bit low. I take a piece of wood and throw it in, making sure the pot overtop doesn't get too hot. Oh, they're making soup. I spoon some and sniff it. I didn't know they had pumpkin here. It smells different form Ordon Pumpkin. I spoon some out and sip it, gagging. This is pumpkin? I think it needs some spices. I go to the counter where the woman is cutting up some herbs and take a small plant. I make sure that the man or the woman aren't looking and smell the plant. This will work.

Another good thing from the Twilight, not only is my eyesight heightened, but my sense of smell is better too, which helps with cooking food.

I put a few pinches into the soup and stir it around a bit with a small spoon. I smile to myself, now it smells a lot better. I check to see if the other people are looking. They aren't. I take a sip of the soup and nod. Much better. Amazing what such a little thing can do.

"It's always the little things that make the biggest impact," I jump, hitting the back of my head on the hearth, and turn, rubbing my head. The woman is standing there, smiling kindly. "I was thinking of how to improve the soup, but it looks like my big ideas, like adding potato or another squash, were pointless, all you added was a leaf and it already smells better."

I shrug, I've had to grow up cooking, so it's easy to me. I usually just wing what I make. "I am Willow, I've worked in these kitchens for many years with Herbert over there," she says, bringing me over and handing me a cutting knife, pointing to some lettuce. "Fix a salad. Anyway, Charlie mentioned you earlier, calling you 'Little Beast'," I huff. "I see what he meant. The nickname suits you…" she trails off and her face becomes blank, her eyes grow misty and I see a ring on her hand glow softly.

"_In the deepest reaches of the crypts of the City of Sheikah, a horrible creature, once banished to a strange world in the woods, waits. It waits, and waits and waits and waits. It needs no food, for motivation feeds it, it needs no sleep, for desire drives it, and it needs no warmth or coldness, for the promise one of the ones that escaped keeps its blood pumping. It will kill one of them and take their power to become stronger, and once that is done, it will go after the other who escaped. The creature thrives in the dark, it feeds of the very essence that flows through all humanoids. Nightmares will resurface in the center of a place full of darkest fears, deepest wishes, and cruelest thoughts_," Willow coughs into her sleeve before looking at me in horror, as if she had just read out my execution. "Oh dear." I tilt my head. "Oh, you don't have to worry. That happens every now and then. They're nothing but foolish rubbish. Why don't you go fetch me a sack of potatoes?" she asks.

Confused, I walk into the storage room to look for potatoes, and I find Rouge standing on one of the shelves, squeaking at me. I smile and pat his head gently, he nibbles on my fingertips before climbing up my hand and arm to hide in my hair. Does he like to emphasise that I have a rat's nest for hair? I shrug and find the potatoes. I manage to pick them up and walk out hugging the bag to me. It's hard to see. I peek out from the side to see Willow and Herbert whispering to each other. I clear my throat, making them snap their heads towards me. I lift the bag a bit, asking them where I need to put it. "Could you put it on the counter?" Willow asks, patting the spot beside her. I put the bag down and tilt my head, curious about what they were whispering about.

"We should get back to work. If we don't have the feast done in an hour, Osamu will have our heads," Herbert says and we get to work. I pout on the inside. I'm still curious.

When we finally get the food ready for said feast, servants come in and take some of the plates. I take one that Herbert told me is Rosaliar's and follow the servants, being careful not to make the food spill or get lost or left behind. We come to the mess hall and I walk up to Rosaliar, who's sitting on one side of Osamu while Sheik sits on his other side, talking to Hitoshi. I put the tray down in front of Rosaliar and bow deeply, not looking up at her. "Looks like you tamed it. Very well done, Rosalie," Osamu says, sounding impressed. "Come now, Rosalie's slave, look up at me," I do as I'm told and look up, locking my hands behind my back. "You've been disciplined. Good. No creature can go unharmed to become tame to their master," Osamu starts cutting some thick beef. I hope they can't hear my stomach. "Now, Rosalie has been telling me that you make some…odd noises, like whimpering, whining, and growling," I wince further into myself the more he says. Will they find out? "She says you sounded almost like a dog when she was torturing you the other day. Do you know why this is?" he looks at Hitoshi.

"I haven't the slightest clue as to why this creature can make such noises. I have not heard any myself," he says.

"I wish to know what you sound like. Rosalie, if you will," Osamu motions at me and Rosaliar stands, pulling out her whip. I start to shiver violently. No matter what, I can't make any noises, I can't let them know about what I can turn into. Osamu stands as two guards turn my back to the table and Rosalie. "My dearest people, do you wish for entertainment?" many of them cheer, but others just stare at me, knowing what he's talking about. "Well, prepare for a good time! Rosalie!" I hear the snap of the whip and jerk as it hits my back, shredding my rags and taking off skin with it. I bite my lip until blood is drawn as she keeps whipping, the snap filling the air along with the laughter. The guards kick me down and I find the whip becomes harsher and harsher. I refuse to give in to their sick ways of trying to get me to bend to them. I have more willpower than they take credit for. I'm stronger than they would believe me to be!

"Well this isn't working. Guards! Join in!" Osamu orders and the whipping intensifies by double, my skin is ripped and shredded but I feel my skin burn at the same time. Rosaliar's manipulating the whips with fire so I don't bleed. Goddesses forbid getting my _filthy_ blood on the carpet.

Suddenly, a voice breaks through the pain. "Master, may I interrupt?" the whipping stops, but I can't move.

"What is it slave?"

"Why do you harm this one? This kid's really done nothing except trespass. Isn't this punishment a little harsh for such a thing?"

"This is too light in my opinion. Besides, we need this one broken more than you if we are to reach Hylia Village," gasps come from everybody. Whatia Village? "It is the last connection to that place, and it must be broken to obedience if my conquest is to work. We start with those abomination, then once they're out of the way, we will send assassins to take care of that half-blood princess," I feel my hands clench at that. There's no way I'd let them hurt Zelly. "Then once she's taken out, we'll have the power to take over Hyrule. That man in red promised that we will prosper for thousands of generations if we can wipe out those creatures, along with threats to his plans."

Man in red? He couldn't mean Ghirahim, could he? How many people are helping that guy?

"Now, move aside, slave, this one needs to be broken. And I will be the one to do so," I hear a chair creek and see a shadow hover over me. Oh Goddesses. "You will suffer, little one, and I will enjoy watching your face go red."

'And I thought he was going to cut my forehead,' I think as Osamu has me hung upside-down.

"I will be back later. I have a feast to finish," Osamu walks away. I growl lowly as the stinging in my back starts to intensify. My old injuries have been reopened along with me getting new ones. So they think they can break me? I won't bend. I'll die before I let Sheik, Zelda or Hyrule down. I don't care what they try, they won't break me, not if I can help it.

-Sheik's POV-

I look at Master as Link is dragged out behind Osamu. "Hylia Village?" I whisper.

"It's the village that is in the forest on the other side of desert. It is the place where the Hylians live."

My eyes widen. "There are more?"

"Yes, they still live. Osamu wants to wipe them out and to do that; he needs to use Link to find the village, since only Hylians can see it."

"I know, I overheard you and Charlie, remember?"

"Right."

"Master…why did Charlie try to help Link?" I ask, watching the blonde man get a harsher whipping then Link had.

Master sighs deeply. "If I tell you, will you try to not get worried and try to tell Link yourself?"

"Tell Link what?"

-A few minutes later-

"WH-" I clamp my hand over my mouth before I can be heard, luckily no one's paying attention. "Charlie's-"

"Yes, he is. But you can't tell anybody. Keep quiet and push it to the back of your mind for now. If Osamu or Rosalie find out, then they won't hesitate to kill either of them," Master whispers. "Now, since we're both back, we need to pretend we don't care for our friends. We can't get them out if anyone realizes what we plan. No matter how much you hate it, just act as if those two are like bugs. Okay?"

"It's not okay, but I know what you mean," I go to rub my forehead when I see my hands are a bit bloody. My fists had been clenched so tightly when Link was getting whipping. I gulp. "Master, do you realize how innocent Link is?"

"Yes, this whole time she's had that youthful charm in her smile that only few have at her age, and being with all she's been through. It's that innocence that makes Osamu angrier towards her. He hates innocence almost as much as he hates Hylians, it's the one thing he doesn't know how to take, thankfully. But if he finds out about Link's true gender, it might not be as good an outcome."

"Master, I need to protect Link. I have this strange...bond with her. I feel like I need to protect her, it doesn't feel like a want."

"Hmm…interesting. Tell me, Sheik, can you hear Link?" I blink, should I tell him?

"Yes, I was able to hear her after a few minutes of being with her, within those few minutes I had believed she was a boy."

"I thought so. One more thing, can she hear you?" why is Master asking this?

"We were experimenting in the dungeons, and found I can talk to her through telepathy. Why?"

"I can't tell you, you must figure it out yourself," Master leans back, looking me in the eye. "You love her, don't you?"

I feel my face heat up and I tug the corner of my shawl to hide my face a bit more. "A little, I've liked her for a while it seems. And now that I think about it, I think everyone knows _besides_ Link."

"That's because she's, as you said, innocent. She's probably only ever experienced parental or sibling love from the people she lived with."

"Master, can you stop it? I like her, yes, but she can't possibly feel the same way with me. Look at me, I'm related to the monster that wants to wipe out her entire race!"

"Well, you'll have to wait and see. Now, eat. Starving yourself won't help Link in the least," he pushes my plant towards me.

How can I eat when Link is being starved?

But…Master's right, if I starve; there will be no chance of me getting Link out of her.

I hate this.

-Link's POV-

I hate this.

I hate this so, so much.

Once I had woken up from passing out, I had to endure being electrocuted by Rosaliar. It's now late at night and I can barely feel my eyelids, let alone my hands or feet. My eyes can only stay half open as Rosaliar crouches in front of me, hissing into my ear. "I will break you, even if I have to break your bones, spine, or skull. I will break you and you will be the key to Hylia Village and the demise of your people. Ta ta," she pats my head and leaves.

I let a stream of colourful thoughts swarm my mind. If only I could have at least bitten her. But I already know that wouldn't end well.

Rouge climbs out of my hair and sniffs my face before nibbling my nose, like usual. I smile as he stands on his hind paws and puts one paw on my nose, the other on my cheek. He sniffs my forehead and I cross my eyes, wondering what he's doing, when he licks my forehead. That's right, a rat just licked me. Sheik will be _so_ jealous! I can tell.

Sometime later, the 'nice' guards come in and lift me, kicking Rouge aside. I fight the urge to growl, somebody's losing their masculinity if I can get my legs on the ground. But these guys learn from past mistakes, and don't let me touch the ground, which sadly isn't that hard. They toss me, once again, into the slave chambers and I get to my feet before stumbling over to the hay. I sit down harshly and my head sags, finally, I can get some sleep.

'So much for that,' I think when I feel something shake my. I wake up and blink to see Charlie, he looks happy, sad, angry, worried, calm and relaxed all at once. Don't ask me how that's possible.

"Kid, we need to talk," he sits down beside me, I notice he's covered in whipping scars. "There's something I've always been looking for, that something is my niece. She was taken away by her father when his and my sister's house was destroyed. Me and my sister where playing with my niece, cute little baby, could never stand still. Anyway, when we were playing, it was just a summer day, dry and humid, but we were shaded by the trees surrounding the house. We were laughing, playing piggy-back, horsey, hide-and-seek, you name it. But there was suddenly the smell of smoke. Not normal smoke from a natural forest fire, but smoke summoned by magic. You see, my sister and I could see magical auras, which is all the magic we possessed, and we could tell when something's abnormal or not. The fire was defiantly magic. It started outside, but moved towards the house. I stood to stand in front of my sister and niece, but the fire came from all around, surrounding us. The roof soon collapsed and I was knocked out. When I woke, there was rain pouring heavily. I saw the hand of my sister from under a log, and I pushed the log off to find she had covered the baby with her own body. She wasn't breathing and everything seemed to slow down. I felt like a part of me broke inside, but that was slightly repaired, slightly, when I heard that cry. At the moment it was the most beautiful cry I had ever heard. I parted her arms to see a small, magical shield surrounding the baby. The shield faded and I took her into my arms, holding her close as she wailed. I cried myself. My sister, my twin, was dead. I had lost a part of me, a part I would and will never find again. I forced myself to stand, and tucked the baby in a basket before taking her and my sister's body out of the house. I ran into my brother-in-law and told him what happened, noticing him covered in wounds that already seemed infected. He told me to give my niece to him, we were both crying by this point, and I gave her to him. He told me that we were being hunted, and he had to give his daughter to the only person he knew who could care for her. He didn't tell me where he was going and left. I was left to bury my sister. I went to the cemetery in the nearby village and buried her there with the help of the grave-keeper. A few days later, I was still worried for my brother-in-law and niece when a couple of my people came back, my brother injured on their cart. His last words were for me to find his daughter, and keep her safe, and just like that, he died. Pretty anti-climactic if you ask me, I thought he would have gone out with dramatic style, but eh, you can't have everything," I snort. This guy makes death sound light. He smiles at me. "And many, many years later, I've found my niece! Although, I wish it was under better circumstances."

I tilt my head. Who is this guy talking about? "Little Beast, would you like to know the name of my niece?" I nod, sitting up a bit more. "Are you sure?" I nod. "Are you positive?" I nod again, starting to get annoyed. "Are you really, really super-duper ready?" I nod firmly, poking his shoulder. "Her name…is Link!"

I stare. And stare and stare and stare. I couldn't have heard right, I could have sworn I just heard this man say my name. He waves his hand in front of my face. "Hello? Hyrule to Little Beast," I shake my head looking at Charlie with wide eyes. "Well you reacted better than I did. I fainted when I figured it out earlier today." I look down, not sure what to think. "So, looks like we still have a bit of family."

…Family? I…I have one? I feel my eyes sting at the thought. I never knew I had any family. And to find I have an Uncle, who's been searching for me, I…I can hardly believe it. I look up at Charlie, he looks on the verge of tears. He's…really my Uncle? My eyes sting more and more. Finally, after what seems like forever, I regain the feeling in my arms and the first thing I do is hug Charlie, my Uncle. He hugs me back and rocks me a bit, leaning his head down. "I've finally found you…I've finally kept my promise to my sister and brother-in-law, your parents." This does it, I feel tears start to leak from my eyes as I let out a sob.

I have a family! A real family! I hug my Uncle-Haha! My _Uncle_!- tighter and he hugs me back. I breathe in his sent; musky, damp and a bit bloody. Usually smells that make me cringe, but right now he could smell like crap and I wouldn't care. Charlie keeps rocking me as I feel the top of my head become wet from him crying. He moves me so I'm sitting up straighter and he keeps rocking me. He whispers to me, singing softly to me. His singing voice is a bit deeper than his normal, and it sooths me, making me feel warm, safe and like nothing in the world, not even Rosaliar or Osamu, can hurt me.

What he's singing, I've dreamed of it. It's the song I remember from my best dreams, the dreams of my mom, dad, and now my Uncle. I hum it to myself when I'm sad, feeling lonely, or when I'm really tired. As he sings, I start to calm down, but I don't let go of him, in fact, I hug him tighter. He lifts my face with his hand and kisses my forehead, wiping a few of my tears with his thumb. "You've grown so much, and now that I know who you are, I must say, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, you could probably rival you're mother's beauty," Charlie chuckles as I move back a bit and smile at him, feeling a light blush on my cheeks. "I'm sorry for dropping the bomb on you like this, but how could I keep it to myself when I can talk to you? We might not even be able to be alone for a while, so I thought I'd take the chance when I could. And don't worry Link, I'll get you out, even if I can't, I'll be dammed if I don't get you out of here, alright?" he makes me look him in the eye. "But let's not think of that. I'm just so glad I've finally found you. I'm so sorry I never found you beforehand, but now we can be with each other. Like we used to be. And remember, I've never stopped loving you. You're my last ray of sunshine, and I will never ever _ever_, as long as I live, let that ray die." He hugs me again. "Now get some sleep, you've had it rough the past few days," I nod and rest my head on his shoulder, yawning. I move into him as he brings me closer, and for once in my life, I sleep in the comfort of my family.

Gery: Aww, so cute ^_^. I thought Link deserved a family, even if it's a little one, so I gave her an uncle, a crazy one at that. I mean, with all the things she's gone through, she needs some family, right? And Charlie can sing whatever song you want it to be, personally, I thought of You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins when writing that last bit. Anyway, next chapter up is the Christmas Special! See ya in five days!


	21. Holladay Special!

Holladay Special!

Gery: *Wearing a red Santa Hat and blue Noël pajama pants with different holiday sayings* Happy Holladay's everybody! Hope you enjoyed the fun times and have many in the future! Well, I won't waste anymore of your time. Enjoy! I don't own Legend of Zelda.

Rusl was feeding the Cuccos when he heard a shriek of laughter, he looked up to see Link running in, followed closely behind by Ilia. He couldn't help but chuckle as the six-year-old ran to a tree and hid behind it. Ilia went around it, but Link moved around the trunk before her friend could spot her, making sure to keep the tree in between her and Ilia. Ilia frowned and changed direction and Link, not expecting it, was spotted. Ilia laughed as she grabbed the back of Link's shirt and they were soon tickling each other, giggling and laughing loudly. "Uli is going to have a fit," Rusl muttered to himself as he saw the mud on their clothes and skin. "Come on you two, we should get you cleaned up before Uli finds out you were playing in the mud and puddles again," he crouched down to them as they smiled up at him. Rusl still couldn't get over the fact of how big they had both gotten, and also found it rather amusing that Ilia was taller than Link, despite the age difference. Rusl had a feeling that the blonde wouldn't be very tall when fully grown.

"Okay, Rusl," Ilia said, running out of the Ranch to go home.

"Let's go, Link. You know how Uli gets," he took Link's hand and they walked back to the house. Luckily Uli wasn't back from the forest yet. Ilia and Link had found an injured bird there and Uli had been taking care of it that last little while. Once Link was cleaned from mud and changed into clean clothes, she was sitting at the table, eating some pumpkin tart she had help Uli make. The crust was burnt black and the pumpkin was a little charred, but it tasted fine to Link. She swung her legs as she gazed outside the window, watching the rain that had started falling when she changed. The weather was very cold this year, and the rain was more biting than usual, it had almost flooded the river the other day and everyone was scrambling to put up a makeshift barrier of flour and wheat bags.

Rusl was starting to fix the meal when there was a knock on the door and Link ran to open it. She turned the knob and hid behind the door a bit when she saw the stranger at the door, he was wearing heavy-looking armour with a cloth on the chest that had the same mark that was on her hand. The man lifted the visor of his helmet and looked down at her, looking as if he didn't want to be there at the moment. "Is Rusl home? I got this letter for him," he held it out to Link, but she shrunk behind the door until only half her face was showing. She wasn't used to strangers with armour and a spear appearing in Ordon.

"What is it, Link?" Rusl asked, coming over. He looked at the man and greeted him. "You were asking for me?" Rusl asked, putting an arm around Link.

"Yes, I came to deliver this letter. Apparently that woman at the bar wanted to talk to you," he handed the letter over.

"Thank you," Rusl said and the man walked away, his armour clanking and rattling. The blacksmith closed the door and paced the floor as he broke the seal of the letter with slightly shaky hands. His face furrowed in worry as he read the contents. That wasn't good. Link looked at him curiously and stood on her toes to try and see the words, but Rusl tucked the letter into his belt. "Sorry, Link, but I must get going to Hyrule Castle Town, there's a sort of emergency," he saw the look of excitement on her face. "No, I can't take you with me," she deflated a bit, making Rusl sigh, but he didn't bend. "I know you want to go, but this is very important. I'll take you another time. I must get going, I'll probably pass by Uli on the way. Now be a good girl and help Uli fix dinner tonight," he ruffled her hair as she looked down.

Once packed, Rusl left Ordon on Aly, the current workhorse. It would be faster to ride to Castle Town than walking. He passed Uli on the bridge, explaining what was going on to her before continuing on his was.

Uli sighed. The Resistance was having trouble lately, and Rusl was being called more often than usual. All she could hope for was that he would stay in Ordon for Midwinter's Eve. She entered the house to see Link napping at the table, her head in her arms as she slept. Uli smiled softly and shook Link, making the small girl wake and yawn a bit before looking up. "Hey, Sleepyhead," Uli said, crouching down and being careful of her stomach. "Look who I brought," she held up a nest in her hands and the bird Link and Ilia had saved was in it, sleeping with its head under its wing. It was a strange bird to Link; it was really small, with emerald green feathers on its back, head and wings, a ruby red chest with a white belly, and a long, thin beak. Its small bandaged wing was a little lower than the one its head was under, and Link tilted her head in wonder, smiling at the little bird. "It's called a hummingbird. When it flies, its wings are like a blur and can't be seen while they make a 'humming' sound, which gives off the name. They are said to be good luck, and bring joy, happiness and courage to a person. Would you mind keeping it in your room for the time being? Just until it's healthy enough to fly off," Link nodded enthusiastically, taking the nest carefully and walking upstairs. Uli shook her head fondly.

Link placed the nest on the windowsill beside her bed, making sure that the hummingbird was nice and warm. He/she needed a name, so for the next few minutes she was sitting on her bed, cross-legged and staring at the bird, thinking of a name for him/her. It had to be something that could be a boy's and girl's name, since Link didn't know what the bird was, and it had to be something creative, not 'Hummer', 'Emerald' or 'Ruby'.

She looked at the bird again to find it awake. It was looking around the unfamiliar place with keen grey eyes. Hmm, Rusl mentioned a grey colour before, but what was it again? It wasn't Cloud, or Mist, she knew that much. What was it, what was it? She thought it started with an 'S'…Storm! That was it! Storm grey! Link nodded, liking the name for the hummingbird.

Link smiled at the bird, getting off the bed and tiptoed to the nest. She watched Storm study the place it was in suspiciously and it locked its eyes on her. She waved a little at it, but it just stared at her, as if looking her over. She left the room and ran down the stairs to see Uli fixing up some soup. She snuck passed her and went to the cupboard, taking a bit of oats meant for the chickens, and snuck back to the room to feed Storm.

-Two days later, in Castle Town-

Rusl dismounted Aly and entered the bar, seeing Telma cleaning the counter and a couple of men drunk off their arses sitting around a table, one trying to balance a spoon on their nose. "Good, you're here, I was starting to worry you didn't get the letter," Telma said, putting down to rag.

"So what's this about a prediction you heard? Who did you hear it from?"

"There was some sort of woman who came through here a week ago, she was strange, and defiantly from out of town, if her accent was anything to judge by. She looked like any other traveler, and all I could see from under her hood were her eyes, they were a strange, storm grey. We started talking and she ordered only a small drink of ale, explaining that she's from across the sea and came over here to look for something."

"Did she say what?"

"No, she only said that it was being held by three different people, and she only had to find two of them before her work was done. She also said that the ones who held them had a big role to play in the future events of Hyrule."

Rusl nodded before an idea came to mind. "Do you think the Triforce has come back?"

Silence followed the question, even the drunken men behind them seem to quiet down, even though they were practically roaring with laughter. "The Triforce? That hasn't been heard of for a long time. It could be possible, and if it is, Hyrule will have a dark time ahead before the newest Triforce Holders awaken," Telma said thoughtfully, placing a hand under her chin. "It's good that Auru found that mountain girl a few weeks ago, we might need some help from everyone we can get."

"All we can do is hope we can make the Resistance grow, even if it's a little. We all know the guards are useless for this kingdom, but the King has more to worry about than a few measly guards."

"Yes, since his wife is sick."

"Did this stranger say anything else?"

"Well, she said she was going to go when she froze, stiff as a board, and sat up straight, before whispering in a hoarse voice _'Times will change, forgotten darkness will rise from the depths of the Desert and consume the land, shrouding it in a fearful pledge of everlasting night. But when the kingdom falls, a Hero will rise. From the farthest reaches of the South, in the form of the smallest and most unlikely of people, and they will take their first steps into a world unknown to them. With the help of one from the eternal night, this Hero will travel the land and will take the Sacred Blade that their ancestors wielded. The ruler of the kingdom will sacrifice much, even their life-force, to save the land in which they care for. Lives will be lost, forgotten memories held back by a wall will start to resurface, old enemies will return from the deepest and darkest void, and the three Sacred Triangles will come together once more, only to be broken apart by the Sacred Blade.'_ Now, I'm not one for prophecies, ominous tales or anything, but this sounds serious. I know what she told was truthful, since when she came back to reality, she looked around, confused, before turning to me and asking what exactly she said. I told her and she had looked away, muttering to herself. All I could catch was 'true', 'in next ten years' and 'go to the South'. Any idea what this could mean?"

Rusl didn't have to think for long. "The Triforce is back in Hyrule, in the veins of two people, the third will be from a place where they were imprisoned, and Hyrule will fall for a time, but a Hero from the South will rise and save Hyrule. The farthest reaches of the South…the only place that far is Ordon, you can't go any further than that, and the smallest and most unlikely. Someone from Ordon will be the one to save us, but who?" Rusl had a terrible hunch, he just hoped he was wrong.

"Do you know who it is?" Telma asked.

"I have a hunch. There's only one person I know who has a strange mark on their hand, and they are small for their age. I really hope it's just coincidence," Rusl said.

"We won't find out for a few years yet. Write to me if you discover who it is, I'll help as much as I can."

"Does Auru know about it?"

"Yes, I told him yesterday when he dropped in. You look exhausted, you can rent a room if you want."

"I think I'll do just that. There's a week until Midwinter's Eve, and I promised Uli I would be there," Rusl paid a yellow Rupee and three green ones. "Telma, I'm worried about Link," he sighed, looking up. "She seems so…sad sometimes. When she looks at me and Uli, it's like she's trying to see any resemblance between us and her, and she grows frustrated when she can't see it. Uli has light blonde hair, my hair is basically brown, and our eyes are not that deep blue of hers."

"She's starting to question whether you are her parents or not. Rusl, if I was you; I would tell Link about her parent's deaths this Midwinter's Eve. She's six, Rusl, wait any longer and she'll find out herself, and she'll be sad and angered that she didn't find out from you. Explain to her that you and Uli aren't her parents, tell her about her parents, say how she looks like them, tell her their names. Do it before she discovers it herself. Kids see things we don't, Rusl. They see through lies, they can see through to a person and know if they're nice or mean, they seem to know more than us, because by the time we've grown, we've developed habits, like not liking certain people, being bias, things like that."

"I know, but how will I tell her?"

"You have plenty of time to think about it. Now, go get some rest, you look asleep on your feet."

-A few days later in Ordon-

It didn't take Link long to learn that Storm was smarter than most birds. When the hummingbird grew used to being fed by the girl the second night, it had made a picture with the seeds, making it look like a woman in a dress, so that told her that the bird was a girl. Storm would watch Link carefully and stay with her, as if waiting for something to happen.

Storm also seemed to act more human than animal, she would look back and forth between Link and Ilia, who had come over one day to help feed her, as if trying to see something in them neither of them could.

Ilia and Link were sitting at the shore of Faron's Spring; playing a memory game by using their hands to slap a part of their body, like their knee or shoulder, and the other had to copy them. Storm watched from a tree branch, a small twinkle was in her eyes as she looked from one girl to the other. The shorter one was copying the brown haired one when her ear suddenly twitched and she looked at the tunnel to the right of the Spring, tripping over her feet since she was distracted. "What is it Link?" the brown haired one asked.

The blonde shrugged and waited, looking at the gate. The brown haired one looked too as all the sounds of the spring seemed to shut off, leaving them in silence. That silence was broken when a large winter bear stepped out of the tunnel, lumbering over to the water's edge. The blonde got to her feet and stood in front of the other girl, not even noticing herself doing it. The bear walked right passed them, so close that the ends of its fur tickled the tip of the blonde's nose, making her face scrunch up as if she was about to sneeze. She held a finger up to her nose and started stepping back with the other girl. Storm blinked slowly, so these two knew what to do around a bear. Good. So many fools tried to run from bears, it was not fun to clean the mess up so that no monsters could get attracted.

Link thought she was over her sneeze, so lowered her arm as she gently led Ilia behind a tree to hide from the bear. But she sneezed loudly before she could hide, and the bear lifted its head from the water and turned its head to her. It walked towards her a few steps before standing up and sniffing the air, pinpointing exactly where she was. It seemed to tower over the trees before it slammed back down onto all fours, making the ground shake a bit under Link's feet. She glanced at Ilia, who was frozen in fear, before slowly walking away from the tree, the bear's head followed her.

Link walked sideways, making sure not to be cornered, as the bear slowly started advancing on her. She was more afraid of what would happen if the bear spotted Ilia than she was for her own safety. The bear stood only half a meter away from her before standing on its hind legs again, making Link's legs shake as the shadow of the bear surrounded her. The bear _really_ looked like a mountain to her just then. She looked at Ilia, the bear's back was to her and the way to Ordon, and Link motioned for Ilia to get out of there. Ilia nodded and started backing up, when she stepped on a stick.

The sound of the breaking stick was the loudest thing in the world at that moment.

The bear turned and Ilia, forgetting how fast bears were, ran. The bear roared and charged after her. Link ran to the Spring, grabbing a stick on the way, and splashed in the water, breaking the stick in her hands and kicking rocks to get the bear's attention off Ilia. Luckily, the bear heard the noise and looked at her, but unluckily, it was now after her. Link jumped into the deeper part of the water as the bear came at her. Sharp claws sliced through the water just by her back, and the tip of one caught her by her shirt, bringing her up and out of the water. She was tossed back, but landed softly in the water, not getting hurt.

The bear turned to her and was about to charge, when Storm flew in front of its eyes, zipping around its head quickly and flew off, as if saying, 'try and get me!' The bear ran after her and Link sat there, waiting for the bear to disappear before standing. Good, she got out of that misadventure unscathed. Just as she thought this, she slipped on a rock and fell forward, face planting into the sand just out of the water.

Link sat up, rubbing her face, there was a small cut on her cheek. Couldn't she get out of anything _without_ getting hurt in one way or another? She stood up and looked around to see Storm hovering in front of her face, was that a twinkle in her eye? Link tilted her head and let out her hand, which had a small bandage since the first time she tried that, she got peaked by Storm. The hummingbird sat in the palm of her hand and Link's face broke into a smile. She rubbed Storm's neck with her left hand and the small bird looked at the back of it before up at Link. She noticed the bird's gaze and tilted her head. Why was Storm so interested? It was just some birthmark, nothing that special.

Storm suddenly flew to the ground and silver light started to surround her. Link shielded her eyes with her arm as she stumbled back, falling onto behind as a warm wind rushed passed her, drying her and warming the air around here, despite it being winter. She lowered her arm when she heard a woman's voice. "So I was right. Interesting," she looked up to find Storm gone, and in the bird's place was a woman, she smiled down at Link with stormy grey eyes and had long brown hair that reached her waste and was tied back into a braid. She crouched down to Link, noting her shock, and laughed lightly, taking Link's left hand and tracing the birthmark. "Do you know what this is?" she asks. Link shook her head, awed by the woman. "This is a very precious relic, and it is a part of you. Protect that part with everything you've got, there are many greedy people who wish to find this relic. Understand?" slowly, Link nodded. "Good. I must get going, thank you for your kindness. Funny, I always turn into an animal that represents a person," she smiled then the warm light came again. The woman turned into a hawk and flew off, leaving a bewildered Link behind her.

Link sat there, blinking and trying to process what just happened, but her mind couldn't get around it. Relic, eh? She looked down at her birthmark/relic. What was it exactly? Was there any significance to it? Or was there more to it, and to her, than she took credit for? She shook her head, she would protect it, even though she didn't fully understand, but it probably wasn't going to be anything important in the future. Before she could ponder this further, she got to her feet, dusted off her breeches, and started walking back to Ordon. She hoped Ilia wouldn't be too shaken up.

She entered the village when she looked up at the tree house near the path. It had been deemed unsafe by Ilia's dad because a part of the floor collapsed, but Link had always wanted to see what was inside. She looked at the gate to the main part of the village, she couldn't possibly get in any more trouble she was already in, she and Ilia weren't allowed to go out of the village unsupervised. She climbed up the ladder and went into the house, feeling comfort fill her. She took in the small house for a few seconds before deciding to wander around.

-A few hours later-

Rusl guided Aly over the bridge towards Ordon, he was still wondering how he would tell Link about her parents. Would she be mad at him for not telling her sooner? She was only six, maybe she wouldn't get angry at all. He never thought he'd be nervous of a six-year-old. He passed by the old tree house when he felt something not right, the door was open a crack and there were footprints leading to the ladder. He dismounted and climbed the ladder, knowing exactly who was in there. He opened the door and spotted a shape in front of an open chest, sitting on the back of their calves. Rusl sighed quietly. "Link," she jumped, standing up and turning. "You know you're not supposed to be here," Rusl said, going over to her carefully. He didn't want the floor to cave in under his feet. He noticed the small cut on her cheek and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?" he asked, Link scuffed her foot sheepishly, her hands behind her back. "Come on, let's get that cut cleaned before it gets infected."

When they got back to the house, Link was sitting on the table, scrunching her face as Rusl cleaned it with a towel. Her cheek stung from the red potion Rusl had dipped the towel in, but the stinging soon passed and her cut was healed. "You went out to the forest, didn't you?" she nodded, waiting to be scolded. "Link, you know how dangerous it can get." She shrugged sheepishly. "Alright, got get into dry clothes, you're soaked," he gently pushed her back towards her room. She ran up and when he couldn't hear her, he sighed, sitting in one of the chairs.

Tomorrow was Midwinter's Eve, tomorrow he had to tell Link what happened to her parents, to his knowledge, and tomorrow he would have to be careful how he would say it. It couldn't be out of the blue, it needed to be built up until he could tell her. Perhaps Uli could help him.

With that thought in mind, he went to talk to his wife.

-The Next Morning-

Link woke up early, even before the sun. She couldn't understand why, she could usually sleep in to noon, but something was bothering her. Her stomach had the feeling of butterflies for some reason and the sense that something bad was about to happen made her go to the window. She looked outside, not spotting anything out of ordinary right away. But as her eyes adjusted to the dark world outside, she saw a figure standing by the river, they were staring at the house, as if waiting for something to happen. Wondering who in Hyrule they could be, Link closed the window silently and tiptoed out of her room and down the stairs, careful not to wake Rusl and Uli. She opened the door slowly, peeking half her face out and seeing the figure standing just a few feet from the porch. She could see the figure grin under their hood and they walked up to the door. Link closed it swiftly, but the door was blocked by the person's foot.

"Now now, I'm sorry for coming so late in the night. But I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any Hylians around here?" the person said, signalling them as a man.

Link looked through the small crack of the door, not trusting the man. He gave her a bad feeling. "Come on, I will be out of your hair soon. Is there a Hylian around here?" Link shook her head, she had no idea what a Hylian even was. "Why am I asking a kid this? Can you get your father or mother?" he asked. Link nodded and the man took his foot back to walk in, but Link closed and blocked the door with a chair so the man couldn't get in. With that done, Link went back up the stairs and opened the door to Rusl and Uli's room. She went to Rusl and shook him awake, the bad feeling from the man not leaving her.

"What is it, Link?" Rusl groaned tiredly, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side. She tugged his hand and he followed the kid out the room. She trotted down the stairs quickly and was standing by the door when Rusl came down. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the chair under the doorknob, blocking it. Rusl moved the chair and opened the door to see the cloaked man. "Hello?"

"Good morning, sir. I've been looking over Hyrule for a certain creature known as a Hylian," Rusl's eyes flicked to Link for a split-second.

"And why are you looking for a Hylian?"

"That is confidential." That wasn't suspicious at all.

"Sorry, there are no Hylians in Ordon."

"I see. Well this place is off the checklist. Thank you, sir," the man turned, grumbling to himself. Link heard him mutter something about "Failing again" and "he'll feed my head to the dogs" or something along those lines. Link felt bad for whatever dog had to eat that guy's head, the dog might get a stomach-ache.

"That was strange," Rusl shook his head, closing the door. He looked at Link, wondering what she was doing up so early anyway. "Link, why are you awake? The sun isn't even up yet."

Link shrugged, circling her hand around her stomach and scrunching up her face. "Well, thank you anyway for getting me. I didn't trust that man," Rusl ruffled Link's hair, knowing she was frustrated about him not able to guess what she's thinking. "Alright, since we're up, why don't we go get one of the bigger Cuccos, the Midwinter Festival is tonight, after all," Link nodded enthusiastically, frustration forgotten. They went to the ranch and into the Cucco Pen.

Ordon Village was bustling much more than usual, everyone was helping prepare for the feast they were going to have, even Ilia and Link. The two girls were helping Uli and Sera fix the Cucco. It wasn't long until the meal was set, and the adults talked as the two kids sat on the bridge over the river.

"Link, do you get angry lots?" Ilia asked, kicking her legs. Link nodded slowly. She always got flustered when she tried to tell someone what she was thinking, and they didn't have a clue. The only person to get what she was saying ninety-nine percent of the time was Ilia. Rusl and Uli could only get what she was saying eighty percent of the time, while everyone else had no clue. "Do you wanna make a wish? They say magical things happen on Midwinter's Eve," Ilia said, smiling and trying to brighten Link's mood. It worked a little. Link nodded and they both looked up at the moon peeking out from behind a cloud.

Link was about to wish to be able to talk, but another thought crossed her mind before she could wish for it. She wished…she wished to know why she didn't look like anyone else in the Village, why she didn't look like Uli or Rusl, and why she had pointed ears while everyone else had round ones. She needed to know why she was so different. She didn't think she could stand it much longer not knowing.

Little did she know, her wish was going to be granted.

Later that evening, Link was sitting on the dock, thinking about her wish, when she heard footsteps. She looked over her shoulder to see Rusl walking over and smiled at him tiredly. "Hey there, Link, did you have a good time tonight?" she nodded a bit as he sat beside her. "I heard Ilia talk about the magic of this night, did you make a wish?" Nod. "Link, you're probably wondering what that man was talking about when he said Hylian this morning, aren't you?" Nod again. "I thought so. Hylians are a rare race of people who are the longest lasting race in Hyrule, believe it or not. They can live for a long time and have magical properties that many Hyrulians wish to have. There's only one way to spot a Hylian, their ears give it away. Link, the reason why you don't look like and Ordonian, is because you aren't one. You're a Hylian yourself," she blinked, so she's not an Ordonian after all.

Rusl kept talking, explaining to Link that he wasn't her dad, and Uli wasn't her mom. The words came from his mouth, as if the Goddesses themselves were giving him the words he needed to tell Link about her parents. They were young when they died, and Rusl didn't know how or why they died, or if they were killed or not. He had found a man, burnt and injured, holding Link at his door. The man gave him Link, saying he would die soon because of his injuries. The man had left before Rusl could help him, and he was left with a baby Link to take care of. That man had actually been her father, and he disappeared after that. He had told Rusl his daughter's name and the blacksmith had raised her since.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but I never knew what to say," Rusl finished telling her. Link was looking at the water, staring at the reflections of herself and Rusl. How come she couldn't see it before? They really didn't look anything alike.

So, her parents were dead for some unknown reason, and she was raised by her dad's friend. All she wanted to know now where the names of her parents, and what they looked like. For once, Rusl seemed to be able to tell what she was thinking. "You're father's name was Joshua, you look a lot like him, you have his eyes and face, but you get your hair from your mother, although her's wasn't as messy as yours, her name was Amethyst, your father usually called her Amy," Rusl explained, putting an arm around Link and giving her a hug. "Are you alright?" he was expecting her to shake her head, but he wasn't expecting her to hug him back. "Good. Let's go get back to the house, you looked pretty worn out," he picked her up and walked back, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

He laid her down in her bed and blew out the candle, closing the door behind him. Uli was still awake, sewing on the bed. She looked up and smiled at him. "Did she take it well?"

"Surprisingly well for a six-year-old," Rusl sighed.

"She's a smart girl, Rusl. Now get some sleep, we'll talk to her in the morning."

That night, Link turned in her sleep, a small smile on her face. In her dreams, she felt smaller and she was being held by a beautiful woman. The woman was singing into her ear softly, her voice like chimes as she sung a lullaby to her. Link smiled up at the woman, feeling safe and warm in her arms. A chuckle was heard and Link looked around to see a man standing next to the woman, he placed a hand on Link's head and she giggled happily. It was the best dream Link had ever had, and she would never forget the wonderful feeling of being with these two people.

Gery: Yay, Link knows about her parent now! ^_^ Well, this was fun to write. Hope you guys have a good Holiday, no matter what you celebrate! See ya next year!


	22. Chapter 18

To NekoKitty13: Honestly, I was teary when writing that, it really didn't help that I was listening to You'll Be in My Heart either.

To Zelda's Spirit93: I get what you're saying, and thank you. I know. Don't worry, they're are going to suffer, if I have anything to say about it (Pst, and I have _everything_ to say about it ;) Don't worry, a special someone is going to come, and those two tyrants will get what's coming to them. Of course! He's behind most of the problems. Thank you, and I want to see what happens as well. Can't wait! (And I already know what I'm going to do with those two. They will learn that karma's a b****) No, they don't, and when everyone is through with them, they won't have the honour of breathing either. No worries, I know how you're getting. I love how much you get into this story. And here's that Update! Enjoy! (Special) I loved it too. That, and she was hiding behind either the door or Rusl, so the man couldn't see her very well. *Smirks devilishly* Oh, no worries about that, the fun will be doubled! Here ya go! Gee, um, you think I'm that good? I don't think I'm too great, but thank you. Oh, you will. And once they're out of the City of Sheikah, I plan to have many more awkward moments. And it will be funny…hopefully. No worries, I am too. *Blushes* Thank you. I don't think I'm as great as you say, but still, thank you.

To Lady Fai: *Hugs* It made me happy too. (Special) Yay! And no, it was actually one of Osamu's guards.

To Mihang: I'm sarry *Hugs*, but she needed a family. And yes, feels zee love. *Pats back* It's okay, let it out, just let it out.

To alfred pierce: :D You're back! I was wondering what happened to you. For a while there, I thought reading My Immortal had made you lose your mind. Or if you just had a lot of work or something. Hi! *waves* And I love this too ^_^ It's fun.

To Shiro: Well thanks :) I wanted it to have that atmosphere, since it is Link's home after all. It always will be, even if she does live at Hyrule Castle now. Of course! Random stuff always happens to Link, how do you think s/he even starts his/her adventure? It's nothing subtle, it's always something random that causes it. A giant tree telling him to go, his friends being taken (on multiple occasions), a giant tornado coming out of nowhere, his sister getting taken by a giant birdy, Vaati coming in and turning Zelda to stone, you know, the normal Hyrule stuff *shrugs*. And yes, random hummingbird, winter bear and luck. Who would have thought Link would have any luck at all?

Gery: I forgot to do this last time

Alex: No one cares, Cheery

Gery: It's Gery. Alright, I don't own LoZ, as you all know, I only own the plot and OCs. Enjoy!

Chapter 18: Rise of the Sheikah, Fall of the Tyrants

Sonja stands on the hill, the sun rising behind her warming her back. Navi was fluttering beside her, and she held a note in her hand. The news Naoko sent her ringing through her mind. Link is a personal slave of Rosalie's and Sheik is pretending to be on Osamu's side for the time beginning, just until Link is broken out. She needs to be careful; Osamu hasn't forgiven her for leaving. "Any plans?" Navi asks.

"I have a small one. If I can sneak in as a guard, I can at least talk to Sheik and maybe find where Link is kept. It's not much, but it's a start," Sonja says, keeping to the shadows of the city's walls to not be seen by the guards on top.

"How'd you get that idea?"

"From Link pretending to be a boy," Sonja grins. "So, I need to knock out one of the guards up there. Preferably one that's close to my height. I'll need you to distract them."

"That will be easy," Navi bobs up and down as Sonja starts to scale the wall, finding footholds in the cracked stone. She looks over the edge and climbs over when she doesn't see anyone looking. She crouches and moves towards the tower at the corner, smirking when she finds no one guarding it. She sneaks in and when she comes to the top, she spots a guard sitting back in one of the chairs, snoring.

"Way too easy," Sonja silently walks behind the man and just as he opens his eyes, she hits a nerve in his neck, knocking him out. "Have a nice nap," she takes off his helmet and armour, finding them a perfect fit. "First try too! This might be better than I thought," she picks the man up by under his arms and drags him into the closet in the tower, stuffing him inside and using a small wedge to lock it without it seeming suspicious. For the nest ten minutes, she tries practicing speaking in a deeper voice.

"Alright, one more time," she clears her throat while Navi sits on the windowsill. "So, what have you heard about that Hylian?"

"No, still too high pitched."

"Says the fairy," Sonja mutters, getting zapped by said fairy. "Jeez, now I see why Link has it easier, she can't talk!"

The sound of clanking metal alerts the two and Navi flies inside Sonja's helmet as the Sheikah sits down, facing away from the door and pretending to be sleeping. The door opens and she hears two annoyed sighs. "How can he sleep on such an important job? What if someone snuck into the city? They would pass right under that guy's nose!" Sonja's mouth twitches a bit at the irony.

"Hey, useless!" one hits her over the back of the head, 'waking' her from her nap. She looks around groggily and yawns as she looks up at the two guards. "Sleeping on the job again? The Emperor won't be happy to find you slacking off."

"The Emperor won't be happy until those filthy vermin called Hylians are dealt with," like Sheik, Sonja feels her insides turn as she says this.

"Well, that is true, but there's no sense in waiting around like idiots. Come on, we need to bring the new slave so he can become broken," the first guard says, luckily not catching her higher voice.

"Oh yeah? He's a trooper, isn't he?" Sonja asks, standing and taking a few throwing knives and following him as the other guard takes her old position. As long as he doesn't look into the closet, she'll be fine.

"The Emperor can't figure out how that kid manages to have such a big willpower, the kid's too scrawny to do any real damage."

_She doesn't need brute strength to do damage_, Sonja thinks as they head towards the Palace and going down some stairs. They go down a few corridors before coming to one the slave chamber with doors all over the place. One particular door catches Sonja's eye. What makes this door stand out is that there is light seeping in from the bottom. The guard opens the door and Sonja quickly scans the room. She spots Link, curled up into a man with blonde hair with his arm around her. From here, Sonja can see tear stains on her cheeks. What happened?

The man looks up and frowns before shaking Link awake. She sits up and yawns, looking at the man with a smile. He flicks his eyes towards Sonja and the guard and she follows his gaze, seeing them and gulping. They walk up to the Hylian as the guard speaks. "Come on, slave, your Mistress has another task for you," he hulls her to her feet and Sonja takes her other arm carefully but firmly. Link looks at her as they drag her out, confused. Why is the guard not being as rough?

'It's Sonja, Link,' Navi tells her and Link's eyes shine a bit. 'We're planning on getting you out, but right now she's hiding as a guard, you need to pretend she is.' Link gives a small nod as they go up to the throne room.

Sonja and the guard push Link in front of Rosalie, who's standing in front of the throne. Osamu isn't around. "Slave, you will come with me to the market, I want you to know where to go and get food if I ask for it. But since you aren't smart enough, I'll need to go with you this time, along with one of the guards. You will wear a cloak to hide yourself, since no one likes to see Hylians wandering around," she tosses a cloak into Link's face. "You will come with us," by a strange stroke of luck, Rosalie addresses this to Sonja. "We will go now. You may go back to your patrol," Rosalie says to the other guard as she walks out, Link following at a trot while Sonja moves her along with a spear to her back, only brushing her rags.

"After this I'll go find Sheik, I'll need to talk to him about how to get you out," Sonja whispers under her breath, knowing Link will hear her. "Just do what you've been doing and stay strong."

"Slave, if you disobey me or wander too far from me, you will not go unpunished," Rosalie warns. "You will stay at my side the entire time."

Rosalie looks back at Link, her eyes scarlet. Sonja frowns, that only happened when Rosalie was angry, or hated someone. The lower-ranked Sheikah guesses that it is both. With the way Rosalie is, she probably looked into Link's mind, and found the events that happened over the last few weeks. Including any moments Link had with Sheik. And if Sonja's guess is right, she says that Sheik and Link love each other, but either neither of them notice, Sheik knows and is refusing to believe it, or Link is just that oblivious.

She's willing to bet it's all three, maybe just the last two and defiantly the last one.

They eventually come to the entrance of the Palace, where Link puts on the cloak and brings the hood up to hide her ears and face. Before they go out, Rosalie turns to Link. "Remember what I said, slave, disobey my words, and you might not live to regret it." Sonja keeps a straight face as she sees Link nod timidly, but inside she fumes. If Rosalie tries to hurt Sheik's lover, then Sonja will have to stab her through the back. Repeatedly. With fire on the blade.

Smirking with the sadistic thoughts, Sonja pokes Link's back with her spear gently, getting her stiff legs moving. 'It will be alright, Link. I'll go talk to Sheik and tell him what Rosalie's doing. I can't risk being around much longer,' Navi quickly flies off before Rosalie can spot her, and Link balls her hands into fists nervously. Seeing Osamu's apprentice not looking, Sonja pats Link's shoulder.

They come to the market, and Rosalie tells Sonja to stay in the shadows so no one is suspicious of the cloaked figure.

-Link's POV-

I follow behind Rosaliar as she talks about the different stalls. "If I ever need you to come here, I guess I'll have to make a list, since you're an idiot who can't talk," I take her words, not letting them sting me. Hey, who ever said I didn't think that of myself when I was younger? It's not any different from then. "Alright, these are Povle Sparks," we come to a stall with small handfuls of dust on the counter. "When thrown, they cause explosions that are ten times deadlier than your stupid bombs. That's all you need to know," I'll store this for later. Maybe Sheik can come down and get some of this stuff if I tell him about it. I smirk under the hood. Maybe coming to the market won't be so bad after all.

"Over here are Rosyn Berries," she waves her hand to some small, dark blue berries at a fruit stand. "They heal natural and unnatural disseises, from the sniffles to Seer Sickness."

Seer Sickness? What in Hyrule is that?

I pay close attention as Rosaliar keeps telling me about different weapons. Even if I already know what they are, it's good to know where they are in this forsaken city. "Now, these are Hestrun," we come to a stall with some sort of mage standing behind the counter. He has a scar running down his neck. "Tell him what Hestrun is, I must go get some more armour for Master," Rosaliar pushes me towards the merchant and he gives me a crocked smile, showing gaps between his yellow teeth.

He speaks in a gravelly voice, as if he just recovered from a bad case of flu. "So, you are the young one destined for greatness," I cock an eyebrow at the statement. What's he talking about? I'm not that great. "You understand my words, no?" I nod. Why wouldn't I understand him? "Good, because I am not speaking in Modern Hylian, right now I'm speaking in the Hylian language of Old, that only the descendants and reincarnates of the Heroes, Royals and Gerudo King can understand. Now, listen, Young One, you must escape that palace by the moon's fullness, or the thing you fear most will devour you in that little Slave Chamber of yours. You remember that beast that lives in the Cursed Woods, yes?" I feel the blood drain from my face. This man can't mean…oh, Goddesses please don't let him mean the Hollow! "What else would I mean? Oh, look at the time. I must get going," time slows down and the man walks backwards as a man, who looks exactly like him, takes his place. "See you around, kid."

Time rushes back to normal and I find myself panting, my forehead a little sweaty. What in Hyrule…that man wasn't really there. Who was he? How did he know about the Hollow? It can't escape its woods!

…Or has it been let out by someone?

I shiver, praying that that old man was just pulling my leg. Probably just some old Warlock who enjoys feeding off people's fear. I shake my head to clear it, but I can't shake off the ominous feeling that he was telling the truth. If he was, I need to get out of the palace by the next full moon. I look at the sky, perking my ears up. The sun's too bright, and I know we won't be staying here for so long that I'll see the moon. I hope I have a few weeks before I need to worry.

"Hey! Slave!" Rosaliar hits the back of my head harshly, bringing me back to reality. "Are you done trying to remember everything yet? Come, we need to get back to the palace. Apparently Master Osamu has summoned me, so we must go at once," she starts walking and I follow her, my stomach in knots from the old man's words. The Hollow. I never thought I would have to remember that monster.

Suddenly, my ears twitch and I look up to see a man running through the streets, a horseman riding after him in hot pursuit, calling out "thief". Through the scrambling crowd of people and guards, I notice a little girl lose the hand of her brother, and get lost in the sea of people, only to get pushed into the path of the horseman.

Without thinking of my own punishment, I run at the girl. Time seems to slow to a snail's pace as the horseman comes closer and closer, unable to stop his charging steed. I grab around the girl's waste and time reverts back to normal as I leap and roll to the side, holding the girl close so she doesn't get hurt. I land on my side painfully and move my arms away from the girl clinging to me. I check her over for injuries, and smile when I find none. Slowly, she loosens her grip and I help her up, holding the reopened wound on my side.

The girl looks up at me, tears in her honey-brown eyes. She gives me a watery smile as I hear a voice. "Harmony!" the boy from earlier runs over and the girl runs to him, giving him a tight hug.

"Thomson!" I smile and stand up, feeling Rosaliar's mark burning. I barely feel the pain through my happiness. The girl, Harmony, is safe and with her brother, so I can go back to Rosaliar now. I turn when I feel a tug on my cloak sleeve. I look down to see Harmony smiling up at me. "Thank you, sir. You saved me!" I smile under my hood and crouch so that I can look up at her.

"Thank you," I look at the boy, he looks my age. "Thank you for saving her. I don't know what I would tell mother if I had lost her. I'm Thomson, and I am ever grateful for your reckless bravery."

I shrug. Think nothing of it, I help those in need. Surprisingly, the girl hugs me around the neck, and I laugh a little as I hug her back. You're welcome.

Then, to my horror, I feel the cloth of my hood slip off my head and I jerk back, breaking the hug as gasps surround me. I reach my hands, which are shaking like crazy, to my head, to find the hood has, indeed, fallen off, exposing my ears to those looking. I move my head so fast around me I hear a soft crack of bones and find myself shaking when I see Rosaliar glaring at me from the crowd. My mark burns like white-hot lightning as she pushes passed the woman in front of her and walks up to me. I stagger back, putting my hand on my neck, blinded by the pain.

"You idiot," she snaps, stopping the burning but magically taking me off my feet. She brings me close and slaps me across my face, leaving a stinging mark. "I told you not to leave my side, and what do you do? Disobey my order!" she throws me back and I hit the wooden pillar of a stall as someone lets out a short scream. I look up at her and see pure, pent-up hatred glow in her eyes. She's going to let all her hatred out on me. Right in front of these people. I hope they don't get hurt.

She stomps her foot on the stone under her feet and the shock travels through the ground, sending me flying into the road, where I land with a loud _crack_. I hear cries from several people as she advances on me, all of them make my heart flutter with hope.

"Leave him be!"

"He saved Harmony, you monster! Would you rather the sweetheart die?"

"He disobeyed you to save on of our own! Something you've failed to do!"

"Silence!" Rosaliar orders as she kicks me in the gut for trying to get up. "I'm the higher one here! You are to remain silent! Slave, I have a new job for you," she grabs the hood of the cloak and drags me after her, not giving me time to stand. "Let's see how well you can heal."

I catch the eye of Thomson and Harmony and give them a reassuring smile as I'm dragged out of sight.

-Third POV-

"Can you believe it? That kid, a _Hylian_, risked himself to save her," a man whispers.

"We were all told the Hylians are ruthless, blood-thirsty monsters, who would sooner kill their own parents and families than help others," an old woman says. "Is it possible that not all of them are like that?"

"What's even more possible is that the Emperor may have lied to us," a woman says strongly, causing the Sheikah to look at each other in horror.

"Did that man lie, just so we would kill any Hylian we came across?" a young lad just out of his teens looks at the sword on his belt, thinking of the many lives he's taken with it.

"If that's the case, what else did he possibly lie about?" Thomson adds, doubling the fear of the people.

The people of the City grow fearful, wondering what the Emperor has said is true, or is false. Thomson, after making sure Harmony is safe at home, goes off into the middle of the city, where a friend of his is preforming for some spare Rupees with her albino tiger she got from oversees. "The way of the tiger is simple, but tragic," she is saying, she wears animal hide clothing and speaks in a strong accent of the far north. "Many ties be broken, and many emotions be pushed aside. But today, fair people, you shall witness a sample of our great and honourable power! I present to you, Zeesta! Tigress of the forgotten land!" the tigress comes out from behind the girl, and is shown to be a small kit. The audience laughs, at which the girl smirks. "You be thinking this is it? Well, think again, fair people. Zeesta, show these people your true power!" the tigress glows and becomes larger, its claws tripling in size and becoming sharper with each passing second. In no time at all, the tiger kit has grown into a tigress bigger than a Moblin. "You don't doubt now, yes?"

"Pst, Lucinda," Thomson whispers from the crowd, only the girl hears. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, alas, fair people, this is a trick for another day," Lucinda waves before turning to Thomson, glaring as Zeesta growls. "I can't go through one full day's worth of work with you, can I?" she puts her hands on her hips, dropping the accent.

"This is important, Lucy. You've heard of that Hylian who was taken to the Palace, right?"

"Of course, it's all anyone's talking about."

"Well…I think he might not be as despicable as the Emp…Osamu claims him to be."

"Ooh, finally have the guts to call that false man Osamu? Didn't know you had it in you, Tom-Tom."

"Don't call me that," he growls. "We need to gather up the Rebels. I think it's time the Sheikah got our city and honour back."

"About time. Where do we meet?"

"In the usual place," Thomson looks up, a spark in his eye. "In the entrance to the Sheikah's Crypts. You have inside information, get one of your spies to tell that Sheik boy we need his help, he's friends with that Hylian after all."

"You got it, boss," she salutes him, picking up a sack. "Come on, Zeesta, we have some friends to visit," she takes off with the tigress behind her, reverted back to her kitten form.

Thomson looks stony-faced as he watches her go. That Hylian, that boy, who looks his age despite his size, saved his sister. And he needs to repay the favour.

Harmony kicks her legs as she sits at the table, numbly snacking on some bread and butter as their mom prepares dinner. The door opens and Thomson walks in, a shadow over his eyes. "What's the matter, Thommy?" Harmony asks.

"Nothing, big kid stuff. Go upstairs, Harmony, I want to talk to mom," he says, making said mom look at him, knowing what they're going to talk about.

"Okay, Thommy," Harmony runs off to play outside and the door slams shut behind her. A thick silence settles over the room after the sound dies.

"I heard about what that Hylian did. Thomson, you're going to lead the Rebels, aren't you?" his mom says, not turning to face him.

"Yes."

"…I wish you wouldn't go, but I can't stop you. Osamu's power is more abusive than ever now that he's lost his mind. It will only get worse if we don't finally put a stop to this. But you must be sure that the one who takes the final blow is the rightful ruler of our people. If only his daughter was here to take it."

"Who says she isn't? That girl, although a little insane, is smart."

"She gets that insanity from her father, but she also has her mother's heart. Take this with you," she pulls out a dagger from her dress apron. "Give this to the rightful Duke or Duchess of this city, and no one else."

Thomson takes it and runs a thumb over the hilt. It's simple, too simple to seem special, but as he holds it, he feels the warm power that throbs from it. "Go now, while it is still daylight. By the time you have all the Rebels it will be nightfall. Be swift, Thomson, our people's fate can no longer take this tyranny."

"I don't know how we could take it at all," Thomson says as he heads towards the door.

-Sheik's POV-

I'm walking through the halls of the Palace when, to my astonishment, a sprinting guard bumps into me, making us both fall back. I jump to my feet and look down at him to see him slowly getting up, out of breath as if he's been running for hours. The guard looks up and gasps. "Sheik! Thank Nayru I found you!" the guard practically rips off the helmet and I'm a bit surprised when I see Sonja. "We are in deep, deep doodoo right now."

"What's wrong?" I ask, I knew she snuck in, but I didn't know I'd meet up with her so soon.

"Link needs to get out, tonight. She might not make it to see the sun tomorrow," she pants, using her magic to make it so only I can hear her.

"Oh, for the Love of Nayru," I feel like ripping my hair out. "I know we do, but how? I can't come up with any ideas of how we can get her out of here. Osamu will kill her soon, I can feel it."

"There's also something else, something that might help us get her out."

"Well spit it out!"

"She saved a little girl from being killed by a horse today, and was being punished for it because she left Rosaslut's side. I stayed in the shadows and listened in on the brother talk. Apparently, there are people who have made a Rebellion, so if we can meet up to talk to them, we can get their help."

"Really? That's brilliant. I'll talk to Naoko about it, he might be part of that cause. You go see if you can find any Rebels, okay?"

"Got it," she salutes me and puts the helmet back on. "Where's Navi?"

I smirk, remembering her plan. "Oh, she'll be back before dark. She has a few friends to gather up first, though."

"What kind of friends?"

My smirk widens. "Nothing too bad, just some Mythical Beasts she, Link and I have met on this little adventure."

"She's a little devil that one. Alright, I need to go. As I guard, I can wander around easily. I'll talk to you later," she ends the spell and we go our separate ways, my spirits are both heightened and dashed by her news. We're on a tighter time limit now, but at least we have outside and inside help.

I run to a training yard and go to a broken bolder near a wall. I push it aside slightly and go into the secret passage there, crouching in the tunnel as I head to the Slave Chambers. Naoko showed me this earlier and I need to go tell Link what's happening. I come to the dark, damp hall that leads to the chambers and go to the only one with light coming out the bottom. I believe it's time to try out that connection again.

'Link? Are you here?'

'Sh-Sheik?' I visibly flinch, she sounds barely awake.

'I'm just outside. Now listen, I don't think I have long. Sonja found out some news after you were taken back here. There's a Rebellion in the city. They're going to help us take down Osamu and Rosalie. And Navi's gone to get Elsie, Felix, Cerberus, and Chimera. We're going to get you out, Link, tonight. We can't wait any longer, Rosalie might kill you.'

'I thought they wanted me broken…'

'I think they see it's a lost cause. If Osamu knows you won't bend, he'll just order Rosalie to kill you. Relax, you'll be safe soon. Remember what you said when you were sick? About me protecting you? I'm going to do just that. Link, I'm going to make sure you never suffer again.'

'How?'

'…I don't know. With my life if I have to. It doesn't matter now. I hear guards coming. No matter what, keep calm. Osamu's time is finished,' I tell her before melting into the shadows, sneaking passed the guards as they come to take some slaves.

I make it to my room and start pacing. If we take Osamu down, we need to do it right. We might be outnumbered, but we also have some Beasts on our side, they'll help us, and I can't wait to see them help rip Osamu and Rosalie to shreds.

Oh Goddesses, I think I'm turning into a sadist. How I can think of getting satisfaction out of watching people be ripped apart is scary.

I shake my head and get back on task. The Rebels are going to meet somewhere very secluded, somewhere that no one would suspect. It couldn't be anywhere near the Palace, that would be stu-

That's it! They _are_ near the Palace, I know it! It's the last place anyone would look for Rebels to meet. For all we now, they could be below the Palace itself. What's the deepest place under here?

I frown, I can't think of anything. It's been so long since I've been here, my memory of this place is still a bit fuzzy.

"I think you're wearing the carpet this time," I glance at Naoko as he enters through the tunnel.

"Naoko," I need to be careful, I don't know if people are listening, "Do you…know about the Rebels?"

Naoko nods. "Yeah, I became part of them when they first started. That was about a year after you left. That's another reason why I was working on Sparks."

I raise an eyebrow. "Sparks?"

He grins and looks down the tunnel. "Come on Sparks, it's safe," from the darkness I see two lights appear and blue electricity that just lingers. Then some sort of machine flies out, and I recognize it as the thing Naoko was tinkering with when I first got here.

"What is it?" I ask. It's strange; it has a circular prism shape and huge, bulky hands that are attached to the end of an electricity current. It flies by quickly spinning the blades on top its head and its face is tan with blue and red eyes, one is bigger than the other, giving it a crazy look.

"I'm not sure. I found it in the desert a while ago, and thought I would try to revive it. Sparks will help us lift heavy things. He might not look it, but he's as strong, if not stronger, than a Goron. I had him lift a cart near my house earlier and he did it without hesitation. I was about to go to the meeting place, but thought I would take you. You'll need to learn what's happening. Come on, there's a way to the crypts through this tunnel," Naoko waves and Sparks, unspeaking, flies into the tunnel as I follow my friend.

"The crypts? That's where you guys meet? That's right under the dungeons."

"Exactly, that's why we go there. The tyrant is too big-headed and foolish to believe that we'd be stupid enough to go there."

"I hope we can get her out."

"Don't worry, Sheik. We'll take Osamu down and get your future girlfriend out," I flush at that, but don't say anything. It's a losing battle on my end. "Kill two Guay with one stone, so to speak."

The deeper we go into the tunnel, the more I start to think of a strategy plan to make it so Sonja kills Osamu. She needs to be the one to do it, she's the next in line, when Rosalie is dealt with, and I believe she'll be a great ruler after the tyrant. And considering this might become a war, she'll remake the alliance with Zelda and there will be more people on our side.

Before I know it, I find myself sitting away from the Rebels, listening in on what they're saying while staying out of the way. The leader of the Rebels, a boy Link's age, is bending over a map of the palace, hands on the table. "Alright, thanks to Naoko, we know that Osamu's bed chambers are here," he points to the spot on the map. "But we will not be killing him in his sleep. He'll have too many guards around him and he's developed a habit of waking if anyone comes within three meters of him while sleeping. So we have to kill him when he's awake. I think the best time to get him is when he's in the courtroom, since that leads straight to the dungeon and slave chambers, where I assume that Hylian is. We have two major goals for this, kill Osamu and get that Hylian out. I have a deep feeling that he's more important than I first took credit for. No one can mess this up, if even one person is spotted to be suspicious, the whole thing will blow up, and we'll all be killed. Here's the plan, you two," he points to a girl with a white tiger beside her. "You'll take the place of the cooks in the kitchens. I don't care what you use or how you get them out, just don't kill them."

"Got it, boss," the girl salutes.

"You five will go replace the guards on the outer walls of the city. We have some visitors coming and I don't want the guards to shoot them," he says to the five. "Everyone else, you will wait in the shadows and keep an eye on the palace, inside and out. We want to know of any weaknesses and I _need_ you to all get along. If we fail, the Sheikah will never be able to have honour again."

There are few mumbles before a brave boy speaks up, "It's too risky, Thom. They're bound to find us, and if they do, they'll kill us, like you said. I don't think we have to do all this just to save one person."

"You don't get it, do you?" I speak up for the first time, making their heads turn to me. "This isn't about just saving one person; this is about saving all of us. Yes, there's a chance that we will fail, but if we don't try, we've already failed. Our lives, families and friends are at stake here, not just the Hylian race. We are going to take Osamu down, and we are going to do it with cunning and bravery. I know it's a risk, but doing nothing is a bigger risk. Do you want to live under Osamu's rule for your whole lives?"

"But he'll die eventually," the same boy counters.

"But who will take the spot when he dies?" I ask. "Rosalie." This makes everyone pale. "Didn't think of that, did you? See what I'm saying? We need to take Osamu down ourselves, and with him we need to take care of Rosalie. Letting either of them live is going to kill us. Do you want to take _that_ risk?"

"I don't know. I mean, we could easily just poison his food, why don't we do that? And who cares about the Hylian? He's not important."

"The person who kills him will be the one to take his spot. And as for the Hylian, what would you say if he were the Hero of Hyrule?" I ask rhetorically to see what they'll say.

"That doesn't change anything. He's not the hero, so he's not important."

"So you aren't important then, either," I say calmly. His face goes red.

"Of course I am!"

"But you're not a hero, so you aren't important," I flip his words around, making him growl.

"Enough!" Thom shouts. "Both of you. Sheik is right, this isn't just about a single person, it's about everyone we know and love. My father wanted Osamu to fall and Goddess Dammit I'm going to make sure that happens," he slams his fist on the table. "Now, remember your jobs. Tonight, the era of Osamu ends."

-Link's POV-

I get a sudden shiver as Charlie wraps a piece of his shirt around my leg. Rosaliar thought it would be a good idea to make it so I can't walk without pain. "Well, I've got to say, your punishment was much lighter than I thought it would be, Little Beast," Charlie says. I nod, having to agree. I just got a cut down my leg, it wasn't bad at all…what's Rosaliar planning?

Sheik's words still stay on my mind. He's going to get me out tonight. Will Charlie be able to get out as well? What about the other slaves? And some of the Beasts are comin. It will be nice to see them again, I just hope Charlie doesn't try to hurt them.

"There," Charlie says, breaking me out of my thoughts. I examine my leg to see that he used a few piece of hay to keep the torn fabric in place. "It's not very professional, but it'll do for now," he grins, ruffling my hair. "I still can't get my head around the fact of how much you've grown. The years passed like days to me after I left to search for you. Never occurred to me you'd be in Ordon. Oh well, we're together now," he gets me in a headlock and chuckles as he nuggies me. I can't help but smile as I get free, shaking my head. "Alright, you rest up now. I have a feeling something big is going to happen tonight," he moves me so I'm sitting beside him and I lean into him, putting my head on his shoulder. "Rest tight, Little Beast."

-A few hours later-

I wake, feeling uneasy. I open my eyes and look around the semi-dark room, listening to Charlie breathe as my eyes flick around the dim light. I look up to see a few stars starting to come out as the sun slowly sets and can't help but smile a little to myself. I frown suddenly, remembering what that strange man said before.

I need to get out before the full moon. That doesn't give me much time at all; the moon will be full in two nights, if my memory serves me right. If I don't escape tonight or tomorrow night, the Hollow will finish what it started. I shiver, hoping it hasn't hurt Rusl at all. No, it won't. I have a feeling it will come for me first, so at least I can give Rusl some time.

Man, Sheik would probably be hitting me over the head right now if he heard me thinking that. I think he wants me to stop risking myself for others.

"I second that," I jump slightly at the sudden voice, accidently waking up Charlie, and look around before finding Navi in my face. When did she get here?

"Little Beast, why did that lightning bug talk?" Charlie asks sleepily, only half-awake.

"I'm not a bug, I'm a fairy," Navi says, sounding insulted.

"Pardons," Charlie leans his head back onto the wooden hut/shack. "Never seen one of you before."

"Who is this Link?" Navi asks.

I smile brightly. 'He's my uncle!'

She makes a motion as if looking between me and Charlie. "You do have similar hair, I suppose. Anyway, that's not why I came. The Rebellion's going to start any minute."

"Rebellion?" Charlie asks, suddenly awake.

"Yes. Apparently, there's been one building for the last three years. They're going to take down Osamu."

"Really? How brilliant!" Charlie sits up straighter. "That tyrant is finally going to get it!"

'Wait a second, Navi, Sheik said you went off to find the Gryphons, Cerberus and Chimera. Is that true?'

"Of course, they are going to come when night falls completely, and I also talked to Rocky and he's coming as well."

"Rocky?"

"You'll meet him later. I've got to go tell Sheik and the Rebels about them. Stay awake, we don't want to come in here to find you're both asleep."

"You got it, Fairy," Charlie salutes before leaning back on the broken wall. "In five minutes."

I smile in amusement as the rim of Navi's aura turns light red. "Yeah, you're related," she concludes before flying off. I laugh, finding it funny how that's proof me and Charlie are related.

Knowing Navi's right, I shake Charlie's shoulder and wake him, he grins dully, "Sounds like you're getting out, Beasty."

I frown and tug his arm, he just chuckles. "There's not much of a chance that both of us will make it out. If it's going to be anyone, it's going to be you. When those beasts come to get you out, don't even look back at me, just run and keep running. If luck is on our side, then I'll make it out. Okay?" he runs his hand over my head gently.

Reluctantly, knowing he's right and hating it with all I've got, I nod.

-Sheik's POV-

The last few hours have passed by like weeks. Everyone is preparing for the Rebellion. Some are going over more plans, some are sharpening up on their fighting and sneaking skills, and others are getting supplies in, like potions, Povle Sparks, extra daggers, some spears and swords and Rosyn Berries. When no one is looking, I take a handful of the berries and a potion. When I find Link I'll give them to her.

The thought of her makes my determination to fight against my uncle and past-lover stronger. I can only hope the ones Navi got can get her out without too much noise. I look in my hand. A while ago, I had stolen her Dimensional Bag back from the guards and checked it. Everything she has is in it, even the Master Sword is inside, so she'll be able to fight once I give this to her. Hopefully she'll be able to fight at all, and if not I hope she just hides and stays out of danger.

I laugh quietly to myself. Yeah, the chances of that happening are about as high as Sonja being sane. That Shorty is way too stubborn to not fight.

I notice Thomson stand and grip a dagger on his belt. "Everyone, we move out now. It's time to put an end to this tyrant and all he stands for. We will all reclaim our honour and be able to proudly call ourselves Sheikah again. Anyone who has a weak heart, spirit and honour, leave now, I don't want any idiots who will mess this up," Thomson says, looking each person in the face. "Good. Let's go," he hits the table of the chamber and we all nod before leaving different ways. Thomson stops me before I can go and hands me the dagger. "You told me your cousin is here, give this to her. Whoever defeats Osamu with this dagger will be rightfully claimed as our next Duke or Duchess. Sonja's the rightful one for the spot, so she needs to defeat Osamu with this dagger. Give it to her when you see her."

I nod, hiding the dagger in Link's bag. "How exactly does that work?"

"Don't ask me, my mother was the one who said it," Thomson shrugs and turns. "You should get back to your chambers. They'll be suspicious if they find you gone."

I make it back to my room just in time to see the doorknob turn. I sit on the windowsill and pretend to be lost in thought as I hear a voice. "Sheik, we must get going. Master is holding a conference in the Court Room," I look at Rosalie, finding it harder now than ever to look at her without showing anger and hatred.

"Alright," I say, getting up and walking with her to the room. I come in to see Osamu talking down to a thief in front of him and I sit down beside Master Hitoshi.

"Where have you been, Sheik?" he whispers. "Osamu was starting to think you were planning something."

I lower my voice so no one can hear. "I've been doing that this entire time. I was just meeting with some people who were planning something very big for tonight," I risk a glance at Osamu. "What do you think of Sonja being the Duchess?"

Master's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he smiles, a spark in his eye. "I think that's a wonderful idea. When does it start?"

"Hopefully tonight," I shrug casually and watch, anxiety bubbling in my stomach, as the thief gets told of his punishment.

-Third POV-

The many Rebels around the palace watch closely, sneaking through the dark like cats on the prowl. All are nervous and scared, but none of them back out. They know Thomson is right; they need to free the city from Osamu's rule. They've lived in this tyranny for far too long, and they will not let their families and future families suffer.

The five Rebels Thomson told to go to the outer walls take out the guards and take their armour and weapons before dumping them into a windowless tower and locking it. Two of them fist pound each other in glee as they head to their posts, looking out over the desert sky. One of the guards spots two shapes in the far distance, one huge, the other smaller, flying towards them, another spots two more large shapes running over the sand, and yet another spots an even bigger shape flying in from the far off Death Mountain, flying through the air similar to a snake.

The fist-pounders smirk at each other. "So that's our extra help," they say in unison.

One of the Rebels whistles through his fingers and the two flying shapes land on the wall, one is the size of a horse and the other is the size of a big cat. They both have eagle heads and wings and lion bodies. "So, when does the fun begin?" the bigger one's eyes smirk.

"Right now. The Hylian is in the Slave Chambers, there's a way to them from the walls. I'll take you there," the Rebel who called them over says and leads them away as two guards at the gates get silently taken out by the running beasts.

"Oh, I do hope the love is alright," the goat head says.

"I jussst want to have sssomething to eat," the snake head hisses.

"Peace, you two, we will do all we can to save the little one. She did save us, after all," the lion head growls lightly. "Come, Cerberus, time to see your favorite human."

Cerberus' heads bark and the two run over the roofs of the city, unbeknownst to anyone below.

The two fist-pumpers gape in awe as the last shape hovers in front of them, a fierce look in its blood red eyes. "Where is she?" he asks.

The Rebels both speechlessly point to the Palace, and the dragon flies above their heads and into the sky above it, creating clouds to hide in.

Ten more Rebels stalk the darkness outside the palace, watching anyone and everyone who comes in and out. They notice the two blurs run passed and leave them be, they had been warned of them by that Sheik fellow.

They notice a guard run towards the doors, having noticed the blurs, and one of them easily takes him out with a throwing knife. Two more Rebels rush in and grab the dead man's arms before running back into the shadows. They did it so fast there's not even blood on the spot he died. The Rebels aren't afraid to kill the guards, because everyone knows the guards can't marry, because Osamu thinks they'll forget their duties if that happened.

None of them have ever been so happy about one of Osamu's crazy rules.

The single guards patrolling the halls get taken out and hidden in different places by the Rebels inside, and replaced by Rebels dressed up as guards, who walk as if nothing happened.

In the kitchens, Lucy and her tigress friend, who is a morph and has transformed into the head chef, take the places of the two cooks. Just telling the two to get out and keep quite is enough. They fix the dinner like usual, but hide a few stunning berries in the guards and teachers food so they'll be sluggish to react to the chaos around them. Only five of each will get stunned, since that's all Lucy has.

Thomson, Naoko and Sparks sneak onto the roof above the Court Room, Sparks hovering just outside the window and telling the two Sheikah what's happening inside. Naoko is fixing some Povle Sparks so that the robot-creature can throw them in as the signal.

The two keep silent, hearts thudding as they wait for the moment to go through the window and start the attack. The Rebels can't stay in the shadows forever, they need to take out as many guards and teachers as they can, so that it will be easier to get Sonja to Osamu.

Speaking of Sonja, she is currently walking through the hall, still hiding as a guard, when Cerberus and Chimera run passed. She gets spun on the spot as they run by and falls, seeing birds fly around her head. She sits up and shakes her head to rid the dizziness before laughing. So it's going into play. She should get to the Court Room.

Then, just as the watchman rings the bell nine times, the real Rebellion begins.

On the final ring, Thomson looks at Sparks and nods. "Fire away."

Sheik hears a sizzle and looks up to see Povle Sparks come into the room. He tugs Hitoshi's arm and they both get up. No one notices the two moving except for Rosalie, but by the time she has time to think, it's too late.

The Povle Sparks blow, causing three of the Court Members to fly out of their chairs as smoke fills the room. In the confusion, the Rebels dressed as guards sneak in and block the entrance. "Order! Order!" Osamu calls as the smoke starts to fade. He looks to the entrance to see the unfamiliar 'guards'. "Who are you?"

One girl smirks, bringing up two daggers. "You're worst nightmare."

Another girl steps forward, and Osamu realizes, with a jolt, that it's Sonja. "You're rein ends now, Osamu."

The Rebellion has begun.

-Sheik's POV-

The second Sonja says that, all of Din's Hell breaks loose. The two sides fight each other and I can only imagine more guards and teachers discovering what's happening in the other parts of the castle. I see Thomson and Naoko jump through the window and they both take out a guard by stabbing them in the back. Osamu runs out of the room in the chaos, and Sonja goes after him. I start to run for her, when Rosalie gets in my way, hurt and hatred in her eyes.

"This was all a trick, wasn't it?"

"You should have figured that when I 'apologized' to Osamu," I say, taking out my chain whip and flipping over her head. "Out of my way, Rosalie, I have a cousin to help."

She just gets in my way again, taking out a katana. With a cry, she lunges forward. I move to the side and swing my chain at her, but she jumps over it and slashes at me, cutting across my chest. I ignore the stinging and take out a dagger, thrusting it at her and skimming her shoulder. Suddenly, my rage, hate and hurt rises. She betrayed me, she betrayed all the Sheikah, she betrayed herself.

And she almost killed Link, out of sheer spite.

I feel my chain start to heat up. I jump from Rosalie's next attack and look at my chain to see it's glowing white-hot, but I can't feel the heat. I smirk to myself. Time for Rosalie to get what she deserves.

I whip my chain at her, making it wrap around her leg, and she screams as the hot metal burns her. Her screams fall on deaf ears as I pull the chain back, tripping her and sending her onto her back with a hard thud. She escapes the chain and douses her leg in cold water, wincing as she gets go her feet. "What the Din's Hell was that for?!" she yells, outraged.

"That was for nearly killing _her_," I stress the 'her' and send my chain at Rosalie again.

"She's nothing but a disgusting creature!"

"No, _you're_ the disgusting _monster_," I snap, dodging her katana.

She screams in rage and stabs forward, catching me down my arm. I pull away and ditch my chain whip, pulling out throwing knives and sending them at her. She dodges each of them, and they hit a few people behind her. She runs at me with surprising speed and brings the katana down. I move and go to the ground, kicking her legs and making her fall over. She tosses her katana aside, it hits an unlucky Rebel, and jabs at me. I hit her forearm away and kick at her neck, causing a bruise, but not doing much damage.

She drops to the floor and rolls, coming up and punching me in the arm as I jab her gut. I grit my teeth as she spins around me and kicks me in the back, making my feet skid on the ground before I turn to her and go to punch her, but she ducks and grabs my arm, flinging me over her shoulder. I recover in the air and land on my feet. I run low and kick her ribs, sending her back a bit.

My memory goes back to when we were kids, doing this sort of thing for fun, but now, we're doing it to stay alive.

-Link's POV-

I will not lie; it comes as a big shock to me when Elsie lands in front of me, smirking at me. "Hey there, kid, it's been a while, huh?" she asks, flicking her tail around.

I look at Charlie, his jaw is dropped and he's just staring at the Gryphon. "Why do you have such strange friends?"

Smiling, I shrug and get to my feet, favoring my right leg as I look up at Elsie. "Everything's started, so it's time to get you out," we hear the ring of a sword and look at the entrance to see Ryuu standing there, two other guards on his heels.

"That won't be happening. That creature won't be leaving, Osamu's not done with him yet," he says.

"And you think you can stop us?" Elsie asks, scratching the floor with her talon and causing sparks to fly. I notice Ryuu's eyes shine at seeing the sparks, and I gulp. He's not planning what I think he's planning, is he?

Elsie runs at him, but he moves to the side calmly and quickly strikes his sword across the ground, sending sparks onto the thin hay on the floor. Before I can blink, a fire starts, consuming the hay and running across the floor, reaching the five other slaves and waking them. The smoke rises and Charlie rips a part of his shirt and puts it over my nose so I don't breathe it in. "Go, Link!" he coughs, covering his own nose with his shirt. "You need to go now!" he pushes me towards the door and I stumble into Elsie, who slashes one guard with her talons, sending him to the ground.

I feel my eyes start to sting and look back at my uncle-I still get a little giddy at that thought- to see him wrestling Ryuu, keeping the Sheikah's arms away from him. He's not strong enough and Ryuu kicks him to the ground, bringing his sword to Charlie's neck.

No. I feel anger flare through me. I hit the back of my neck and for the first time since I turned human, I turn into a wolf, but thankfully I'm not a pup. I run at Ryuu and bite his calf, making him cry in pain as the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth. I do my best to ignore it and bite down harder as he starts to kick, trying to get me off. He slashes his sword down and I jump away so it hits the ground, but my tail lands in some flames. I yelp and jump forward, smashing into Ryuu and sending him into more fire.

I turn from him as he screams and awkwardly hit my neck, turning back to human and crouching beside Charlie, who's knocked out. I lift his arm and get it around my shoulders, legs shaking as I stand. He's not heavy, but he's a bit awkward to carry. I start limping towards the door, eyes watering as smoke and ash enters my mouth and feeling sweaty from the heat. It's so stuffy in hear. I'm almost blinded by the smoke when I bump into Elsie.

"There you are, come on!" she grabs me and Charlie and puts us on her back before running out. The flames jump out of the doorway as she runs up the hall and on the way she smashes the other Slave Chambers open so they can get out. I look back to see the fire following us, burning down the doors and getting so tall they hit the roof. Oh boy, I hope we didn't just ruin everything.

We soon find ourselves lost, but I don't think of that as I slide off Elsie and put Charlie on the ground to let him rest. He has some burns, but he's still breathing. I sigh in relief and look at Elsie gratefully. "Now that that's done, you go. I'll stay here with this guy," she nods to Charlie. "Cerberus and Chimera should be coming soon."

I nod and stand, giving Charlie one last look before running off, all my injuries from my time here seem to have vanished, I can't feel them at all. I smile at that, good, no distractions. I round a corner to see Osamu running towards me. I slam my back onto the wall as he passes, not seeing me, with Sonja hot on his trail. They run down the other hallway and I hear a roar and howl before seeing Sonja running back, seeming to be freaking out as Osamu runs around the corner as Cerberus and Chimera show up.

I would have laughed if it weren't so serious right now.

They run by me again and Cerberus skids to a stop in front of me, panting happily and with only a few injuries from what happened to him last. He sniffs my face and this time I do laugh when he licks me, all three heads shoving each other aside.

"Cccerberusss, ssshe doesss not wisssh to sssmell of your breath," Cerberus pulls back and whines as I look at Chimera. He's grown back an awkward-looking paw, how I have no idea, but otherwise he looks fine.

"Well, love, you look worse for wear," Goat states the obvious.

"Come, we must go and join the fray. People are fighting all over this place," Chimera says and takes off. I follow behind with Cerberus, who plans on keeping me company.

We keep running through the Palace, getting a little lost on the way, but find ourselves in the throne room, two sets of people fighting. Which side am I on? I look around, there are people in armour fighting other armoured people and I don't know who are on the side to take back the city. I feel something hit my back and I spin on my foot to see a man with robes on attack me. Guess I'm fighting him.

I jump back but he's faster and grabs my arm, tossing me through the air to crash into a table. I blink the stars from my eyes as I pick myself up and ball my fists as he advances on me, hand raised and sparking with fire. Oh great, a mage. I look around me and grab a plate from the ruined table. The mage fires at me, but I manage to dodge it and send the plate at him, having it chatter on his face.

Not happy about me hurting their friend, three more mages come at me. I smile nervously before turning and running to the door near me. Sadly, I end up on a balcony with no way down. I go to the railing and look down into the darkness to see a shape move, and I feel a devious smirk on my face. Good timing.

I climb onto the railing and stand on it, facing the four mages as they come through the door. "Nowhere to run now, Hylian," one says.

"Just give up now, and we won't have to bother with you," says another.

I shrug and nod in agreement. Spreading my arms out, I tilt my head up and jump back off the railing.

The wind makes my hair and clothes ruffle as I fall. I have my eyes closed and a smirk is on my face. I'm suddenly stopped and land on top of something. Opening my eyes, I feel my smirk widen as the mages all laugh at how easy that was. Aren't they in for a surprise?

I rise over the railing, standing up and arms crossed, to see them turn to me and set their hands on fire, but I rise a bit more and I laugh when they freeze in fear.

Patting Rocky's head, I point at the mages and laugh harder when they scream and try to run as Rocky sprays beyond scolding water at them, making them smash through the door to the throne room. My dragon runs in after them and grabs two opposing guards, smashes their heads together, and tosses them into a robed man who almost killed a boy in rags.

I jump off Rocky's head and land on top of a mage, knocking her down and grabbing the staff she has in her hand. I use the staff to knock her over the head and grin. At least I have a weapon now. I swing the staff at a guard and knock the wind out of him, somehow knowing he's not on my side. Rocky sprays a torrent of water a five guards, sending them into the walls, and he hits three more with his swinging tail, knocking them off their feet to slam into suits of armour. Chimera breathes fire onto some mages, Cerberus is slashing and biting anyone that comes close to hurting me or his friend, Felix, who flew in a few seconds ago, is soaring overhead and dive-bombing people who try to hurt Rocky with bows and arrows.

I glance out of the throne room to see Sheik run by and whistle for Rocky. He runs over, trampling a mage who was about to kill a girl and her giant cat, and lowers his head. I grab his horn and swing to sit behind his head and we head out of the room, dealing some damage on more guards.

-Sheik's POV-

I sprint down the halls of the Palace, killing off anyone who tries attacking me, in the search for two people: Sonja and Link. I'm not sure how I managed to escape Rosalie, but I think it has something to do with the fact she went into a blind rage and attacked anyone near her, whether they were on her side or not.

The smell of a fire makes me stop, and I look around to see smoke coming from the direction where the Slave Chambers are. I feel my heart stop for a moment, when a voice enters my head.

'Sheik! Get on!' I turn and only have a moment to register Link riding behind the head of a dragon before she grabs my shirt and pulls me up behind her. I'm surprised she's able to. 'So where're we heading?'

"I think Sonja chased Osamu down to the dungeons. We need to get there as fast as we can," I tell her, feeling heat on my face when she leans back into me. I would hug her right now if we weren't in the middle of a rebellion.

'Okay,' she pats the dragons head and it snorts steam before running through the halls at a faster speed than I could ever go.

"Where did you get this dragon?"

'He hatched from an egg right in front of me when I was ten and adopted me as his Ma,' she explains. 'I took care of him for a few years before he was taken to Death Mountain by some Hyrulian Guards. He had been killing too much of the game in the area around Ordon.'

I shake my head. Link has a dragon. She could be a very dangerous threat, but she doesn't show it. But that might be her plan.

We come to the stairs leading to the dungeons and get off the dragon, since he won't be able to come. Link pats his nose before following me down the stairs, grabbing onto my arm when she stumbles. "Are you alright?" I ask, worried.

'Yeah, just a cut,' she straightens and we keep walking, although I don't think it's just a cut.

While going down, I give Link her bag and she quickly gets her sword and shield on her back, along with her hat on her head. I finger the dagger on my own belt, hearing angry shouts come from the dungeon.

We wander through on cat-quite feet when we hear a _clang_ and smoke rises from the end of the corridor. We run towards it and round the corner to see Sonja fighting Osamu hand-to-hand, the tyrant honestly isn't bad at fighting, but I can tell Sonja has the upper hand.

"How could you betray your own father?!" Osamu yells, smacking Sonja away.

"My father died when he lost his humanity," she snaps, kicking him in the stomach and sending him into a wall. "You're nothing but a monstrous tyrant, and I'll take you down whether you like it or not!"

"Sonja!" I call, taking off the dagger. She pauses with her foot at Osamu's throat, keeping him pinned to the wall as she cuts off his air. I throw the dagger at her and she catches it swiftly by the blade and flips it around to hold the hilt. She puts it to Osamu's throat as she holds his shoulder to the wall, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Give up, old man?" she asks, when her hand is kicked and the dagger is sent flying. She's pushed back and I run over to help her up as Link catches the dagger clumsily in her right hand, her left holding the Master Sword.

"It's not over until the fat lady sings," Rosalie snarls, standing in front of Osamu to protect him.

'Link, get out of here. Me and Sonja are about to use very powerful magic,' I tell her and she gulps before backing up, only to be spotted by Rosalie, who's eyes turn a darker scarlet.

"You…" she whispers and runs at Link, daggers in both hands and about to stab her, when Link reaches into her bag for something and vanishes from sight. I feel a small smile on my face as Sonja and I blast Osamu with fire and lightning, making burns appear all over him and turn his robes from their shiny black to a dead grey. So the stone came in handy after all. I glance at the ground to see Link running towards a crack in the wall to hide and Rosalie is going frantic. "Where is she?"

Osamu's head snaps to her but he doesn't get to say anything thanks to Sonja kicking him in the face. She's about to choke him to death when I remember she needs to dagger to kill him, and I let out a groan when I remember just who has it.

'Link, get out here and grow, I need to give the dagger to Sonja,' I think as I skid in front of Rosalie to distract her.

'Goddess Dammit,' she grunts. 'Kinda busy here!'

'With what?' I yell as I hit Rosalie's hands away so she doesn't stab my throat.

'Let's just say I'm sharing this hiding spot…with a stupid scorpion!'

I feel as if a firefly lights up above my head. I grin to myself, noting Rosalie's slight confusion as she dodges my fists. 'Bring the scorpion out here! Rosalie's scared of them!'

I don't get a reply, but soon I see Link sprinting out of the crack with said scorpion coming after her. 'Come on!' I grab Rosalie's wrists to keep her away, but she keeps pushing and the dagger tips are close to my face.

'Keep you're shawl on!' she snaps and runs passed Rosalie, who spots her, then the scorpion. The crazed student of Osamu screams and pulls away from me as I pick up the scorpion and toss it at her. While she frantically stomps on it, Link grows back to normal and gives me the dagger before going over to Rosalie, a looking of pure loathing in her eyes. I see her knuckles turn white from gripping the sword hilt and I can only hope she doesn't get herself killed.

Sonja, who has been beating Osamu's face in, spares me a second of a glance before taking the dagger and pressing it to his throat, smirking when his crown falls off and rolls across the floor.

"Will you look at that, it seems you have fallen, Osamu," Sonja spits, grinning like a maniac.

I hear a scream and look at Rosalie to find Link standing over her still boy, a staff in her hand as she pants. I see a very big lump on Rosalie's head, and look at Link with a raised eyebrow. She just smiles brightly. 'You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for,' she thinks before she staggers forward. I catch her before she falls and resist the urge to suffocate her in a hug. I just rest with picking her up bridle-style and carrying her over to Sonja, who knocked Osamu out.

"You're not going to kill him?" I ask, surprised.

"Of course I am," Sonja says, dusting off her hands. "But I have a much more suitable death for him. Come on, we need to get him and Rosalie out of here. It's time for their final judgment."

I nod and move Link a bit to wake her up. She yawns and looks up, a small pink blush rising on her cheeks. I chuckle, "Come on, you need to stay awake for only a little longer."

Wordlessly she nods and I set her down. I grab the back of Rosalie's shirt and start dragging her, not caring about her wellbeing in the slightest. I hold Link's hand with my free one and guide the exhausted girl out of the dungeons. I can hear Sonja dragging Osamu behind me and smile to myself.

At last, after so long, Osamu has fallen.

-Link's POV-

My eyes become fuzzy as I follow Sheik and I rub them with my free arm, feeling him squeezing my hand reassuringly. Now that all the adrenaline has faded, I feel like I can sleep through the entire winter. I yawn and rub my eyes again, trying to stay awake for only a while longer. When Sheik stops suddenly, I bump into him and look up, tilting my head curiously.

He gives me a soft smile and opens the door out of the dungeons, letting me see his friend Naoko and some flying thing. I'm too tired to really look at it. "You got them?" I barely hear Naoko ask this, they're voices sound like bubbles.

"Yeah, Sonja's bringing Osamu up as we speak. He and Rosalie aren't going to die just yet. Anyway, can you take Rosalie? I need to help Link," Sheik says.

"Sure," Naoko, who has a slight twinkle in his eye, grabs Rosalie's shirt and ties her hands behind her back.

"Alright," I feel Sheik pick me up and glance at his face through my bangs. His eyes and smile soften more as he looks down at me. "You can rest if you want," he whispers as he follows behind Naoko, Sonja and the flying thing. Rocky follows behind Sheik and rumbles with a sound like a purr.

I yawn and rest my head on his shoulder, but only half-close my eyes. I'm too tired to sleep, if that makes any sense. I just listen to the quite whispers from Sheik, telling me that I'm going to be okay, that he'll heal me and that I'm safe now. I smile tiredly and nod a little, stifling another yawn. I know.

-Sheik's POV-

I think my face is on fire.

Naoko won't stop sending me knowing looks and Sonja just keeps giggling whenever she looks at me and Link. Oh Goddesses, I didn't think this through, did I? I sigh and look at Link; she seems to be in a daze. I don't blame her, but I am surprised that she's still awake, even if barely.

On our way to the court room, we pass by people of the palace and Rebels. The Rebels seem to have everyone tied up and the fighting has stopped. Some Rebels are running to douse the flames while others heal those who have been injured. But like with every battle, lives are lost on both sides. I shift Link a bit, kind of hoping she doesn't see it. I know she's not a kid, but I'm not sure how she'll react to all the death around here.

We come to the court room and Thomson, who has his arm in a sling, is standing beside the girl with the tiger, who's covered in scars and bruises but doesn't look all too injured. Thomson smiles when he sees Naoko and Sonja with the tyrant and his student. "So it's over then?" he asks.

"Not quite," Sonja says. "We still need to think of a suitable death sentence for these two. They're too dangerous to live."

Thomson nods and walks to the side with the girl, who's patting the tiger's head. Sonja stands in front of the chair Osamu used to sit in and puts her hands on her hips, glaring at the tyrant and Rosalie as they're tied by their ankles to the floor so they can't get away. I sit in the chair I usually go in and shift Link so she's sitting on my lap, which feels weird, but I need to let her rest. She rests her head on my shoulder and lets out a quite sigh. I flush a bit more and smile. She's so cute.

Rosalie wakes up first and, upon seeing where she is, lets out a violent scream and tries to attack the person closest to her, that person being Naoko, but she trips and lands on her side, hissing in anger. She looks up at Sonja and scowls, knowing what's going on. Osamu soon wakes and Sonja walks to him, glaring at him with no fire holding back. "Osamu, you are charged for abusing your power and throwing the City of the Sheikah into chaos. You are accused of tyranny and the lives you ruined will be avenged today. These offenses you have made will not go unpunished." I blink at Sonja, she sounds like she's been ruling for years and not just ten minutes. I've never seen this side of her.

"She's an amazing one, Sonja," I look up to see Master standing beside me, smiling proudly at my cousin. "I have full faith in her."

I nod in agreement as Osamu speaks up. "So, I have fallen. Well, what are you going to do? Banish me? Throw me in the dungeons?"

"No, I'm doing neither of those things. You, along with you apprentice, will be executed," every one of the Rebels, Master and I stay stony faced, knowing it's the only way. And I don't care for either of them. Both of them hurt _my_ Shorty.

Osamu's eyes harden. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Sonja says.

"And our execution? Are we going to be hung? Beheaded? Burned?" Rosalie spits.

"No, those deaths are too good for you. Sheik, Master Hitoshi," Sonja looks at each of us. "What do you think of this? How about we use the Sun Chamber one. Last. Time?"

I feel Link shiver at the name and I pull her closer as she lifts her head slightly. 'N-no,' she thinks. 'Osamu can go in but…but not Rosalie.'

I stare at her in confusion. 'Link, she almost killed you! And you don't want her to die?'

She turns her head and I find myself staring into those innocent blue eyes. 'She was a victim of Osamu's lies and scandal as well, Sheik. Even more so because she was under his lessons. She was corrupted by him. She doesn't deserve to die, not yet anyway. Put her in the dungeons for a few years, see if she changes away from Osamu's manipulative words. Please? There's been so much death already, Rosalie still has time in her life to change, she's not that far gone,' she thinks.

I feel my eyes sting and hug her to me. 'Link…you're way too forgiving of people…but I think you might be right,' I pull her away from me and see a small blush run across her nose. Her eyes flick down and I look up, about to tell Sonja, but it appears I don't have to.

"Sonja, don't kill Rosalie," I look to see Charlie walk up beside Master, his entire right arm is burned beyond healing and the tips of his long, tangled hair are charred black. "She doesn't deserve to die just yet."

"And how would you suppose that?" Sonja asks, generally curious.

"She was more a victim of Osamu's scandal than we were. Being an apprentice to him at such a young age corrupted her mind and made her think she was doing the right thing. I suggest you lock her in the dungeons until you see a change in her. Some time away from others and Osamu might help her regain her right of mind," Charlie explains, basically summing up what Link wanted.

"Hmm, I see you're point," Sonja looks at Rosalie, who's half scowling, half furious, but I see her eyes are no longer scarlet. Instead, they're the rose red that gave Rosalie her name. "Master, could you take Rosalie to the tightest secured cell? She'll be spending some time there, give or take six months."

"Of course, Sonja," Master walks forward and hulls Rosalie to her feet.

"Oh, and Rosalie? If you try anything funny, you can forget about breathing ever again," Sonja states as the girl is taken to the dungeons. Sonja turns to Osamu, who's sweating beads. "Don't think you're so lucky, Osamu. You still get executed by the Sun Chamber. Take him there, his life will be the last one taken by that room and then I want you to burn it to the ground and replace it with a normal cell. That room won't be heard of again after today."

"Yes, Sonja," two Rebels bow their heads and grab Osamu by the shoulders, dragging him towards the door to the chambers.

Once Osamu is gone, Sonja turns to the Rebels looking at her, some with fear, some with pride, and others with a mixed expression. "People of the Sheikah, spread the word to the city: every man, woman and child can now sleep peacefully, and the new Era of the City has begun. All slaves and captives will receive trials and, if not guilty, will be set free. If they are guilty, they will serve the rest of their sentence before being released. I trust that you all will not fear me like you did Osamu. I am not him, so I want you to not judge me because I share his blood. Dismissed," Sonja nods shortly and the Rebels, guards and few teachers file out to fix up the Palace and spread the word.

After all of them leave, Sonja lets out a heavy sigh and sinks into Osamu's old chair. She turns her head to me and smiles, "We did it, Sheik. Our people won't suffer anymore."

I nod slowly when I hear a soft snore. I look down at Link and chuckle when I find her asleep, her head fitting in the crook of my neck.

Charlie smiles and pushes a bit of her hair behind her ear. "Mind if I steal her?" he asks.

He takes her and cradles her, tears forming in his eyes. "I can't believe I'm free," he mumbles. "Thank you both. I'm just…so happy I found her," he sits down on the council table, cuddling Link into him. "She looks so much like Josh, but…she reminds me so much of Amy."

"Josh and Amy?" Sonja asks carefully.

Charlie nods. "Her parents' names. Joshua and Amethyst. I met Josh when I was on the Royal Guard when I was twenty. We became fast friends and when I introduced him to Amy, my little twin sister, it was like I wasn't even there. I was half expecting them to jump each other then and there," he chuckles.

I unwillingly take my eyes off Link and look at Sonja. "So now what?"

"Now we rebuild the City. It might take a while, but we'll get through it, I know we will. When you meet up with Zelda again, tell her I'll be coming over to negotiate an alliance with her. I won't stand by and let the Sheikah fall now that I'm in charge," she grins. "You should go take Link to your room, she needs to rest."

"Wait, why with me?" I ask, flushing dully.

She gives an impish grin. "No reason. Do you mind, Char?" she looks at Link's uncle, who shakes his head.

"Nope."

'Can you keep it down?' Link thinks, yawning as she lifts her head. 'I wanna get some sleeps.'

I smirk a bit at that. She sounds like a child. "Sleep tight, Little Beast," Charlie whispers to her and passes her back to me as I stand.

'Tell 'im I say g'night, please?' I have to hold back an 'aww' from that. She sounds so cute!

"Link says g'night," I tell Charlie as I leave. I hear him chuckle and head to my room, finally feeling at peace. The dragon follows us, like before, and somehow ends up curling in the center of my room, head turned to the door like a watch dog.

Gently, I tuck Link under the covers and she smiles softly. 'I knew you'd save me.'

"Of course I would, I-" I pause, heart thudding. I almost told her I love her. I can't tell her, not yet. Not so soon after I realize. "You're the closest friend I have."

She turns onto her side and yawns. 'You're a great friend too, Sheik. I'm happy we met."

I nod. "Get some sleep, by tomorrow, we'll never have to worry about Osamu again. But how can you and Charlie forgive Rosalie?"

'I don't forgive her, but I give people the benefit of the doubt. If she turns out hostile, then she doesn't get any more chances.'

I chuckle and lay down beside her, above the covers. "You're so innocent, Link."

She turns to face me and tilts her head. 'I'm not that innocent. How can I with all the things I've done?' even as she says it, I see the innocence shine in her eyes.

"I ask myself the same question. But really Link, you have got to be the most innocent person I have ever met. And I've got to say, it's what makes you adorable," I smile, feeling a blush on my cheeks, and chuckle when Link blushes.

'Um…I-I think I should get some…some sleep,' she thinks quietly and puts her head on the pillow, falling asleep quickly like usual.

Chuckling, I get under the covers and pull an arm around her, pulling her into me. I'll protect her, even in my sleep.

-The next morning-

I wake up and look around the room, feeling something wrong. The dragon and Cerberus are fast asleep, Link is just blinking her eyes open, and the sun is coming in, but I feel a chill. Something horrible is going to happen, I can feel it. 'Sheik, are you okay?' I look at Link as she sits up and looks at me. 'You're heartbeat is pretty fast.'

I gulp and sit up, running my hand over my eyes. "I feel something wrong. Like I've been dunked in ice-cold water," I whisper, as if someone is on the other side of the door and is listening in.

Link's head snaps to the door when her ears twitch, and her eyes widen when a shadow comes in from under the door. 'No, it can't be. Not now!' she backs up into me and I wrap my arms around her.

'What's wrong?' I ask telepathically, not wanting whoever it is to hear me.

'I-I think the thing outside is…the Hollow,' she starts shivering. I look at her curiously.

'The Hollow?'

She nods, not saying anything more as she turns and hugs me, burying her head into my neck. There's a sound of metal scraping on the door and this scares Link even more. 'No! Don't come in here! Don't come near me! You're…you belong in the Cursed Woods! Not here! Go away!' she yells as if it can hear her. I try to calm her, but I feel my neck become wet. She's…crying? Is the Hollow that bad?

'Link, I'll open the door. You use the stone and hide, if it's who you think it is, stay hidden, okay?' I move to get up but she hugs me tighter.

'Don't go! It will kill you!' she thinks. 'It can't be killed by anyone who's mortal!'

'Link, it might not be what you think. Just calm down and use the stone,' I lift her chin and make her look me in the eye. 'Please?' she doesn't stop shivering, but she nods and reaches to her neck as she lets go of me. I get out of the bed and reach for my chain whip in case it is something dangerous. The door creeks open and I find myself gawking at the thing standing there. I don't see much, but its freakishly tall and I don't think I see any eyes or nose on it. Its arms are short and when it brings one up, the sleeve of the cloak falls off, showing me a deadly-looking hook. What in Hyrule?

'Run Sheik!' Link yells but the thing grabs the front of my shirt and lifts me off my feet, looking me in the face with its mouth gaping open. I feel a shiver go down my spine, what is this thing? The dragon roars from behind me and Cerberus growls, but the creature just glances at them with what should be its eyes and waves a hooked hand in their direction. I hear a crash but soon the thing is running through the Palace as if it's the wind.

-Link's POV-

I don't have any time to think when _it_ waves its hook at Rocky and Cerberus, sending them back. Rocky smashes into the bed and I fly through the air and land on the ground, bouncing a bit a skidding across the floor before coming to a stop. I lift my head to see _it_ disappear and raise my hand in a futile attempt to reach for Sheik.

Tears run down my face as my hand falls and I let out a sob, hardly believing it.

The Hollow has Sheik.

Gery: There we go, down with the bloody Red Quee- I mean, Osamu. Yeah, him. Anyway, did this seem a bit too rushed? I feel like I went too fast with the Rebellion, but I didn't know what else to write and this is my first time trying out a huge fighting scene. Oh well, I'm sure lots of you are happy to see Osamu defeated. Like my twist with Rosalie? Too bad, you have to live with it ;) What is going to happen to Sheik? How did the Hollow escape the Cursed Woods? And where is it taking him? Find out next chapter! See-

Oh yeah! Before I forget, I'm going to say this now guys, I have exams in two weeks, so I might not have as much time to type the next chapter out. I'll try, but if I don't get anything out in the next week or so, at least you know why. At least I have no provincials this semester, so I don't have to worry too much yet. See ya!


	23. Chapter 19

To Fabulanova780: Because it's funny :) Thanks. I am too. That's one of Link's fatal faults, she _is_ way too forgiving, but that's her other weakness besides magic. It's a human fault of hers, not just a physical fear she didn't always have. I wouldn't either, but like I said, this is Link we're talking about.

To NekoKitty13: It's a party crasher, that's for sure.

To LOZ-fangirl: That's good, surprises are fun. Oh, good, I found it fun to write, even if it was a bit challenging. Sorry *shrugs sheepishly*. Thank you.

To Zelda's Spirit93: Yep, that was my plan all along for Rosalie. But Osamu will still be killed by the Sun Chamber, and I will still have sweet dreams. I love Sonja too, I think she's one of my favorite OCs in this, right up there with Nura and Alex even. Sacrifices had to be made, and she wouldn't accept Osamu as her father either, she didn't agree with him on his plans and the way he was, so she basically disowned him from the privilege to be called dad. (Yes, she does kick ass). Pft, I didn't either, honestly. I was planning to have Link and Sheik go to the place in this chapter together, and have Sheik get taken there, but then it happened and I liked how it worked out. Yes! I am da Master! I do too, my friend. (You'll see in this chapter *smirks*) *Uses Max Revive* There, all better now :D

To Shiro: I know, right? And don't worry, our little hero will save him. Aww, I'm not that amazing. I'm just me :)

To Lady Fai: Celebration! Yeah, she is, but it's also one of her fatal flaws, being too generous and forgiving of people. But who knows, Rosaliar might actually change. Nope, that was all Osamu, he's the one who created that awful place after all. Here it is!

To OrionRedde: Be prepared, that's not the end of it ;)

To alfred pierce: Thank you. Good, I wasn't too sure about it myself. First time and all. Was that an intended pun? You'll find out later.

Gery: Yay! Exams are over!

Nura: You had you exams last week

Gery: I know, but I was busy with other things

Alex: *Rolling eyes* Sure you where

Adam: Gery doesn't own LoZ, only OCs and the plot

Gery: Enjoy!

Chapter 19: The Sheikah Crypts

After getting over the shock of what happened, I get to my feet and use the stone to grow as I run out of the room. I need to tell the others about this. I sprint through the entire Palace before crashing into somebody. I fall back but the person catches my arm and helps me stand. "Easy there, Little Beast, you don't want to hurt yourself so soon after all you went through," I look up at Charlie and feel relief.

'Charlie, you've got to help me! Sheik got taken by a monster called the Hollow and I don't know where it took him! I think it's going to kill him!' I think frantically, but Charlie just frowns.

"What's wrong, Beasty?" he asks.

I curse myself. This is one of those times I wish I can talk. 'Sheik got taken by the Hollow!' I think as loud as I can, but he just puts his hand on my forehead.

"You're not coming down with something, are you?" I shake my head and push his hand away, repeating my thoughts as if doing that will make him hear me.

'Charlie, please! I need to save Sheik! He might be killed!' I feel my eyes start to sting and I look down, my ears falling.

"Hey, it's okay, Beasty," he hugs me and rubs my back. "We'll go find that fairy friend of yours."

Before we can get to that, Sonja comes running up, panting. "I can't find Sheik anywhere," she tells us. I nod and try to tell them, but they don't notice.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know, we were going to meet up in the morning but he never showed up," Sonja says. I wave my arms frantically, trying to get their attention. When this doesn't work, I settle for tugging Charlie's sleeve.

"Do you know what happened, Link?" he asks and I nod, flustered at the time we've wasted.

"Come on, we'll go to a study so you can tell us," Sonja waves and I follow behind her, starting to get fidgety. If only I could talk, then we would already be after Sheik! Why was I cursed with this inability to speak? I've tried so many times when I was younger to say things, but nothing would come out. Even now I try to speak, saying 'hi' to myself or small words, but it's like my throat locks up when I try to say it. I've never been more frustrated with my problem in my life.

We come to the study and I write what happened as fast as I can, not caring about spelling or grammar. I hand it to Sonja, who raises an eyebrow and passes it to Charlie. He reads through it, the seconds feeling like hours, and his eyes widen. "Are you serious, Link?" he looks at me. I nod quickly.

"What is it?"

"Apparently Sheik was taken by a monster called the Hollow this morning," Charlie explains.

"Why would it take him?" Sonja mutters, putting a hand on her chin.

I look down, feeling guilty. The Hollow was after me, but it couldn't find me when I was small. I know Sheik was the one who risked himself, but I can't help but feel it's my fault the Hollow took him. If I hadn't gone after that goat by myself, then maybe I wouldn't have even gone into that forest and it wouldn't be after me. I clench my hands into fists and start to think about where Sheik could be.

Then I remember what that lady in the kitchens said about the creature in the crypts. She must have meant the Hollow. So, it's in the Sheikah Crypts. Good, I know where I need to go, but how do I get there? I look at the doors, then to Charlie and Sonja, who are talking about possible places the Hollow would take him. I can't waste any more time, I need to find someone who knows the way to the crypts and can help me. I sneak out of the room before either of them can stop me and I sprint through the Palace, trying to find somebody who can help me.

It doesn't take long to find them. When I run passed a courtyard, I notice a boy with silver hair fixing a propeller on some sort of flying thing. He might be Sheik's friend Naoko. I walk into the courtyard and he looks up, frowning a little when he sees me. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" he guesses. I nod. "It has something to do with Sheik, because he's not with you," I tilt my head at that, he smirks. "If I know Sheik, I know he won't leave a friend of his alone so soon after they got out of trouble. And I'm positive he wouldn't have left _you_ for any old reason." Okay, now he's just confusing me. "So, was he attacked by someone?" he holds up one hand. "Or something," he holds up the other. I blink at that. He's giving me a choice, not just a "yes" or "no" question. I lift my hand that mirrors 'something' and he lowers his hands. "Okay. So something attacked him and took him?" I nod. "Well we're a step further. Do you know what took him?" Nod. "Any clue where it's going? Alright, is it near the Palace, or near the City?" he crosses his arms when I answer 'Palace'.

He snaps his fingers. "It went to the Crypts, didn't it?" I nod, wondering how he got it so fast. "Alright, we can't hold up any longer. Come on, I'll leave a note for Sonja and we'll head to the Crypts. You'll need someone who knows how to handle that place to go with you," he says.

"I will warn you know, Link, these Crypts are not anything normal. They're a dungeon in themselves," Naoko says as we stand in front of the stone double doors to the main part of the Crypt. "It hasn't been used for a long time, but when I was younger I came here, it was a place filled with nightmares and images I wished to never see again. The Crypts play a huge mind game on anyone who enters, granting deepest desires to the eyes of the beholder. What do you desire beyond anything in the world?" I shrug. "You're about to find out then." He opens the doors and I feel a rush of freezing cold wind blow passed us, seeming to seep as far as my bones. "No matter what, keep in mind of what's important. This place is truly a mad-house."

We go in after Naoko grabs a torch. I hug my arms to myself as we go down the stairs of the crypts, worried. I know I'll face the Hollow again, but will I be ready? That thing's immortal, so how can I possibly kill it? I shiver, hugging myself tighter. What if we don't find Sheik in time? What if it…kills him? My eyes sting at the thought. I don't think I could bare it if Sheik died. We've grown so close, to lose him, it'd be like if I lost Ilia, Midna or Zelda, who are my closest friends.

"Wha' I'…de 'ollow 'akes Sheik's sol?" I hear a voice mutter, too deep into my thoughts to register it, when Naoko stops short, making me bump into his back. He turns, looking behind us, and I look over my shoulder. There's no one there.

"Did you hear that? I just heard a voice," he whispers, reaching to his belt and pulling off a dagger. That weapon seems to be the Sheikah favorite. "I don't know where from, but it sounded like a girl's. Keep your eyes peeled," he lowers his voice more and I keep walking. I watch the walls and shadows, hoping nothing will come out of the corners and kills us. Or worse.

"I 'onder i' de 'ollow wou' 'urn us inta pup'ets," the voice comes again and I feel my jaw move and for some reason, my throat vibrates. The voice sounds weird, like whoever's speaking isn't experienced with it. I rub my throat. I hope it's not getting infected or something from all my screaming. This would be a horrible time to become sick.

"There it is again," Naoko snaps his head around as we enter a circular chamber. "Strange. Okay, Link, this is the spot most of the problems start. This place likes getting into your head, and gives whoever enters something they've never had. For example, I've never been able to see in the dark well, but I can spot every detail of the floors," he looks at me thoughtfully. "I wonder what you would gain..."

I shrug. "Pro'bly summat 'upid," my jaw moves again and I rub my throat, Naoko's eyes grow as wide as plates. I tilt my head, frowning. "Wha's 'e lookin' a' me like dat fer?" I spin in circles, the room may be large, but it's open and I can see every corner. Who in Hyrule is talking?

"Link," Naoko says slowly, walking up to me. "T-think something. Anything."

I raise an eyebrow. 'Anything,' I think, but my jaw moves and the voice sounds again. "An'thin." Naoko goes pale.

"Oh…so that's what you gained," he mutters. "Link…do you desire to talk?" he's saying it so slowly, as if talking to a kid.

I shake my head. "Well, apparently this place thinks you do. You're…talking. Granted, you have horrible speech, but…" he trails off, letting it sink in. My ears fall. That was _me_ who just talked? I shiver, looking around this place. It…gave me what I lacked. And I lack in speech. What is this trick? I don't trust it.

"Ah do' 'ust i'," I mutter before clasping my hands over my mouth. I don't want to talk! I feel myself start to shake. I don't like this. I hate this! I don't want something I've never had! That way, when I leave this place, I won't feel sad about not having it!

Naoko sighs, giving me a friendly hug. "Shh, it's alright. I can tell you don't like it, and that you're scared, but you know not to be happy. That's good. The reason some people waste away in here is because they wanted to keep what they gained. But the deeper you go, the more this place takes for what it gave you. Try not to talk, the less you talk, the more you'll just shrug this off once we get out of here."

I nod. 'Shouldn't be that hard,' I think, but say it as "'Uln't b' dat 'erd," and stuff my hands into my mouth, eyes going wide. I didn't want to say that!

"Oh dear, you can't hold your tongue," Naoko says, turning to look at the door on the other side. "Just…try not to think words, that way you won't say anything," he starts walking and I gulp as I follow him. I really hope I don't get used to talking. It feels so weird! Feeling the inside of my throat vibrating as my tongue moves around in my mouth along with my lips is just freaky. Sure I've opened my mouth plenty of times, but the only sound that comes out is laughter or screaming.

Well…I guess besides the first time I went to the Sacred Realm, but that's different. That place can heal poison, so I guess it can make it so I can talk without having it feel weird or be a problem. I notice my speech is kinda broken, and hard to understand. I know what I'm trying to think-er-say, but it comes out so strangely. Midna will never let it go if she finds how stupid I sound.

We go through the door and find ourselves in a similar chamber, only this time doors are in each compass direction and look the same. Oh man, this is going to be a puzzle-maze thing, isn't it? I feel my shoulders slump, how am I supposed to know which way to go? It's not like I have a guide to tell me how to get passed these things.

Naoko makes a 'hmm' noise like he's thinking hard and walks into the center of the room, beckoning me to follow. "Can you look around this room and point to which door is the darkest?" I blink at the strange request, but look at each door. It would be easier of they were side-by-side. I point to the door to my left after a few minutes and Naoko nods. "Okay, let's go that way," he heads the opposite direction. I follow, reaching into my bag and pulling out my bow and two arrows in case something pops up.

We come into a similar room and continue the pattern of going the opposite way of the darkest door. Soon we come across a different chamber that has a large hole in the middle and several smaller holes scattered around the floor. I have a feeling I won't want to fall through those. Naoko crouches, looking over the floor. "We'll have to be careful crossing this, it doesn't look very sturdy," he says, straightening up.

"Kik," I nod and clamp my hands over my mouth, feeling my eyebrow twitch. I can't stop talking!

Naoko ignores me and hesitantly steps on the ground in front of him, pressing down and making sure it's steady. He goes on like this until he comes to a hole. He looks down and whistles before looking over his shoulder at me. "I suggest not looking down there, unless you want to hurl," he himself looks a bit pale, and my shoulders sag. Now I'm curious, dammit! I start walking forward, being careful not to step on any parts where it looks like it could break as Naoko starts going again.

I come to the hole, the edge just blocking out the bottom, and gulp before looking over. I don't see anything, just a dark floor. Then a long, white arm comes out of the ground. It has red soars covering its skin, long red claws and looks like it's about six feet tall. I shiver, unnerved by it, but not that scared. Wonder why Naoko paled. I'd better not risk asking.

I look up to see Naoko stop for a moment, frozen on the spot as a loud groan echoes around the room. I glance at his feet when he does and from here I can see the stone starting to crack. Seconds pass, both of us waiting with bated breath, but nothing happens. But still, Naoko doesn't move. "Link," he whispers, like talking louder will make him fall. "If I go through this floor, keep going on ahead. But be careful, this place may give you something, but it gives you it for a price. Keep to the task we're on, and you should be fine."

I don't like the sounds of that. At all. And Naoko will be dammed if I leave him here to rot. He shifts his foot just a little and that's enough for him to fall through the floor, dust and stones falling after him. I hear a thud and click my tongue, looking down the hole in front of me to see Naoko's foot. "Ouch. Alright, remember what I said," he says, moving out of my sight. "I'll find a way out, so don't worry about me."

The arm I noticed earlier moves, as if to grab Naoko, but he's too far away and I soon start hearing his boots scrunch on the floor. I go to step around the hole when I hear a strangled gasp and the sound of something bursting out of the ground. Forgetting about what he said, I jump down the hole and land on my butt beside the hand. I crab walk away from it and turn my head to see Naoko being held by another arm. I scramble to my feet and look around, frowning. I don't see anything. The arm lets go of Naoko and he runs to my side, grabbing my arm and pushing me away. "What did I tell you? Sheik'll kill me if you get hurt on my watch," he whispers harshly, eyes darting around the room quickly.

I tilt my head, wondering what can be wrong, when he backs me into the wall. "Link, stay here and don't go near those arms. They'll grab your throat and _it_ will come out," he shivers at 'it'. Why does everyone say 'it' instead of what 'it' actually is? It's just annoying, not scary.

I look up at the roof, but there's no way to reach the holes. There are no doors, and the room is just one big place with more of those arms. "I'll look for a way out," Naoko carefully walks around the room, not daring to get close to the arms. I don't blame him, they are a little unnerving.

A chill goes down my spine and I feel something tug my ankle. I look down to see a hand holding me and I pull, but it holds me firm. I look at Naoko, he's not looking towards me. My ears twitch and I turn my head to see some weird creature come out of the ground, almost silently. It's tall, about seven feet, and has a fat body, a thin neck, and a head with a huge mouth. Its skin is like the arms, an ugly white with red soars covering it. I'm not sure how it moves, but I have a feeling there are very small feet under the skin of the bottom.

I can see why Naoko freaked out, this thing is creepy!

Gulping, I back up, but the hand moves and wraps around my neck, choking me. The creature comes closer, but I don't dare say anything. I struggle to pry the hand off my neck, but it just clamps down harder, its claws digging into my skin. The creature brings its head back and snaps forward, biting down on my shoulder and I let out a cry of pain. The hand lets go and I have the chance to grab a bomb. I squeeze it and drop it at the things 'feet' as I see Naoko running over, dodging the arms. I shake my head, trying to tell him to get away, but he doesn't see and the bomb explodes just as he gets in range. It sends us both back and we hit opposite walls as the thing burrows back into the ground. Wow, what a coward.

"You alright, Link?" Naoko asks, stepping around the arms.

I nod and stand, wincing at my stinging shoulder. I can't worry about that now, Sheik's still in danger. I look around the room again, but still can't find a way out. Naoko goes to lean on the wall, when he falls _through_ it and I brighten. Fake walls, eh? I step through the fake wall and see a hallway leading to a bared door, so at least we know where we're going. I help Naoko up and he tries the door, sighing when it doesn't open.

"I think we might have to kill the Dead Hand," he mutters, looking at me. I raise an eyebrow. Is that what that creature was? "One of us will have to play as bait to lure it out, while the other attacks it. You can only hit its face since its skin is tough. Who will do what?"

Please don't ask me, I don't want to tal- "Ah b' bit," I say and groan, Naoko grimaces slightly.

"Right, sorry, shouldn't have asked," he scratches his cheek sheepishly. "But you want to be the bait? Are you sure?" I nod. "Well…alright," he says slowly. I step out of the hallway and walk to one of the arms before poking it making it come down and grab my hair. I hear the Dead Hand emerge and try to keep calm as it comes at me. I spot Naoko come out of the fake wall and he throws a dagger at the Dead Hand's face, catching it right in the eye. The Dead Hand groans and swipes at me with its stubby arms, but misses. It crawls away, but Naoko takes out a fan and tosses it like a boomerang, making it fly around and slice the Dead Hand's head off.

The hand lets go and the arms retreat into the ground as the Dead Hand falls forward, its mouth gaping. I rub my side as I walk over to Naoko, who's prying the fan from the Dead Hand's neck. That's an interesting weapon of choice. "If you were wondering, yes, I use a fan as a weapon," Naoko mutters, not looking me in the face.

It's unexpected, that's good. I tug his arm and jerk my head to the fake wall, the door's probably opened.

We go through the door to find ourselves in a dark room and I blink a few times as my sight adjusts. My eyes go wide when I see what's standing in the middle of the room. Ghirahim smiles, seeing that I spot him. "Why hello. It's been a while, hasn't it, Forest Child?" I unsheathe my sword and shield as Naoko darts his head around.

"Who's there?"

"You are not wanted for this conversation," Ghirahim waves his hand and the floor opens under Naoko's feet, sending him deeper into the crypts. Oh great. Ghirahim, his task done, nods slightly and looks at me before teleporting. I turn, looking at every corner of the room, when he appears right in front of me, eyes shining when I jump back out of shock. "It seems you came after all. I must say, bringing that creature here was such a difficult task. I had to stop him from eating just anybody by telling him about a certain Hylian who escaped his grasp long ago," he says, walking towards me. I walk backwards in the same pace, making sure he doesn't back me up into a wall. "When he had had enough, I let it go and ordered it to bring the boy I was looking for here. But imagine my surprise when he brings a Sheikah to the deepest part of the crypts and not you. Care to explain why?"

I bite my lower lip. He probably knows I can speak now, and he's trying to take advantage of my loose tongue. He laughs, teleporting again. I don't have time to react when he grabs my arm and runs forward, slamming my back into the wall and I hear a crack from the pressure. He holds me off the ground by pressing his hands into my arms and leans his face close to me, freakishly calm. "My my, not going to tell me? After all your ancestor and I went through, you won't tell me anything?" I answer by spiting in his face. He holds me into the wall more and wipes his face, looking irritated and annoyed, but not angry. That makes it worse. "Don't try my patience. I know you have some memories of your past lives. And I would love to see them and discover just what problems you all went through."

I struggle, but he punches me in the nose, making my vision blur. "Now, you listen clearly, I am not above killing you," I feel him put his sword on my neck. "But I need you for a little longer. But just your body. The Hollow will take your soul and spirit, but your body will remain and with it I'll use human parts to revive my master and give my ally what she needs to power above her brother."

'Ally?' I think, forgetting I say whatever's on my mind and it comes out as "A'y?"

Ghirahim chuckles, rubbing his thumbs in circles on my arms. "Do you not remember my ally from the first time we met? She's a tad crazy, but she's a good help. Unlike that Twili, I want to keep her around."

There's him calling Zant 'that Twili.' How can that guy be so stupid as to see he's only playing a small part in this? Doesn't he realize that Ghirahim will kill him after his job is done?

My vision starts to come back and Ghirahim smiles. "Now, tell me your secrets," he presses me into the wall further and I bite my lip again, desperate not to tell him anything. "Come on, I can find out the easy way or the hard way," he lets me drop onto the ground and I bite my lip, making it bleed. I'm not even recovered from my old injuries, and this isn't helping them heal at all. Ghirahim steps on my stomach, making me gasp as he pushes his foot down, even turning it slightly. "You are one stubborn kid. The pain will all end if you tell me your secrets."

When he sees that this isn't making me talk, he rolls his eyes and does something that completely catches me off guard. He snaps his fingers and the next second, Sheik is dropped behind him, still unconscious. 'Sheik,' I feel my heart flutter but that quickly dies when I look back at Ghirahim, who's smirking like the Demon he is.

"Now, if you tell me you're biggest secret, I will leave you two alone. But if you refuse, I will kill him," he summons his sword and holds it at Sheik's head. "Your choice."

Well, I don't really have much to hide, anyway. Only my fear of magic, which he already knows, and that I'm a girl. I mentally shrug, people will find out eventually anyway, besides, it wasn't my idea to hide it. "Ah g'l," my mouth feels dry and my throat hurts from the little talking I've done.

"What?"

"Ah'm…eh…gurl," I say, slower this time. It sounds weird for me to be talking.

Ghirahim raises an eyebrow, seeming more interested for some reason. "Hmm, should have known," he slaps the side of my face gently-wait what? Why's he being gentle now? "But your little guise did fool me, nonetheless. Oh, and before I forget," he turns his head to Sheik, smirking. "This isn't actually your Sheikah friend. He's still being held captive by the Hollow. This is just an illusion. Stupid girl," he snaps his fingers and the illusion vanishes, making me grit my teeth. I should have known. Ghirahim laughs and slams his foot into my stomach, knocking the air out of me before turning his back to me. "I should get going, someone is coming who has quite the appetite," I sit up and rub my ribs as he vanishes, leaving me alone in the dark.

What's he planning? I get to my feet, trying my best to ignore my injuries, and look around. Something with an appetite? All I can do is hope I don't have to face the Hollow yet.

After a few moments of silence, I start to walk to the other door when I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I take out my bow and ready an arrow, looking around quickly as I hear a rumbling. Something smashes the floor behind me and I turn to feel my jaw drop. A huge thing lifts its club, which looks like a tree, up onto its shoulder, roaring in my direction. My mind snaps back to that vision the Stalfos Brothers showed me, and I gulp. This is an Orc, isn't it?

The Orc roars again and runs at me, holding its club up high. I shoot it in the head, but the arrow bounces off and thuds into the ground at my feet. I feel a cold sweat break out on my forehead; this will be one Din's Hell of a fight. The Orc swings its club and I duck under it, hearing the wind from the blow, and take out my sword, slicing at its leg. It kicks me away as if I'm a bug and I somehow land on my feet a few meters away. I jump away and look into my bag, trying to see what can help me right now.

I snap my head up when the Orc slams its club down and roll away, taking out a bomb. I toss it at the Orc but it catches it and tosses it away, making the explosion light up the room for a millisecond. Thinking fast, I reach in and grab the Megaton Hammer, hefting it up as high as I can get it and slamming down after ducking the Orc's swing. The hammer lands on the Orc's foot and it lets out another roar as it kicks, sending me skidding across the floor on my back. My head slams into the wall and I let out a moan as I hold my head.

"So' o' ah bick," I mutter, then scowl at myself. Dammit, it's starting to get a little harder not to talk.

I sit up to see the outline of the Orc before seeing it looming over me. It brings its foot up and I snap out of my daze in time to roll between its legs and come up behind it. I spot the Megaton Hammer and run at it, fumbling to pick it up. Aw c'mon! Why _now_ of all times? I gasp when I'm picked up by the Orc and grit my teeth, doing my best to keep a hold of the hammer.

It turns me to its face and roars, making my hair fly back as I lose my hat. But that's the least of my problems. Somebody needs to wash their mouth! I manage to pull my arm out of its hand and plug my nose as it stops roaring, snorting into my face like a wild goat. "Me…want…food!" it shouts in my face, making me gag at its breathe.

Aw man, I need to risk talking to get out of this. I cough and unplug my nose so it, uh, _he_ can understand me better. "Loo', ya do't wanna eat may. I 'aste ter'bil!" please let him understand.

He blinks slowly, snorting again into my face. "That not what demon say," he growls, sniffing me.

"'Rust may, I'm 'ucky," I swallow the lump in my throat. I'm expecting to be licked and prepare for it. But he doesn't do that exactly. He runs his thick finger over my face and head like he's stroking a cat, then sticks his finger in his mouth. He spits in my face, making me wipe it with my sleeve, and squeezes me.

"Demon lie, now I kill," he grunts.

Goddess Dammit, this is getting worse. I look down to see the Megaton Hammer and try to think of how to get out of this, when something hits the Orc's head with a flop and we look to see Naoko standing there, looking stunned. "Wow, I threw that point-blank and still got the brute."

I smile, when the Orc drops me and roars at Naoko, dragging his club after him. "You smell better than scrawny rat," I stick my tongue out at the Orc as I get to my feet. Stupid meat head, not my fault I haven't gotten the chance to have a bath yet. I shake my head, somehow, I don't think that's what he means. I pick up the hammer, my muscles are screaming right now, and try to limp after the Orc, but Naoko is running around too much with the Orc in his pursuit for me to catch up. Dammit, stay still!

Biting my lip, I look around the room to see if there's anything that can help me. Sadly, I don't see jack all. I look into my bag to see the ocarina I got from the Deku Tree. Maybe if I play a song, I can get the Orc to sleep or something. I take the ocarina and drop the hammer, making sure it doesn't land on my foot.

That would be bad.

I put the instrument to my mouth and start blowing, somehow knowing how to play it.

I blame Link-er-the Hero of Time.

I'm not sure what I'm playing, but rain suddenly starts falling. From. The. _Ceiling_. Bloody Din's Hell, what did I do? The ground becomes slippery and muddy, causing both the Orc and Naoko to stumble and slide in their running. "Link, what did you do?" Naoko yells as I wipe my bangs out of my eyes.

I shrug, biting my lip to hold my tongue. I've been talking too much and I'm starting to get _used_ to it, and I don't think that's good at all. I pick up the hammer as the rain stops and look up in time to see Naoko slipped and is coming at me. I don't have time to move and he slams into my legs, making me fall forward and face-plant. Yay. I pick my head up and wipe the mud off my face to see the Orc on the other side, slumped into the wall.

Here's our chance. I pick myself up and run as fast as I can at the Orc, bringing the hammer up and slamming it down on his skull.

The resulting sight is something I wish to never see again.

I back away from the still mass of Orc, trying to fight down the bile threatening to rise from my stomach. Never, do I want to see the brains of any animal, creature or human again. _Ever_. I wipe the head of the hammer on the Orc's rags and refuse to look at his caved-in head, not liking what I did to him. He had been tricked by Ghirahim, and probably wouldn't have even fought me if the Demon hadn't bribed him by saying I taste good. I close my eyes, feeling tears burn my eyes. I hate killing. Why can't it stop? I don't want to kill anything, but the things I kill always make me kill them, or I will die. I feel selfish thinking that. Thinking I'm any better than those I kill.

I blink, confused. I haven't thought like this for a long time. I always feel sorry for killing anything, even if it's a Keese or Deku Baba, but I haven't been so saddened by the thought since I killed Di Baba. When I was finished puking my stomach out, Midna had slapped me and yelled at me that it was either the monster or her 'servant', and she didn't want to lose her 'servant' because that 'servant' was a weakling who couldn't hold their emotions.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Naoko, he's smiling sadly. "You're experiencing the second stage of this place, revisiting old memories of your flawed self. If we don't keep our heads and think about the present and future, then we'll lose our minds. This place gives and takes, and we need to push what it gives us away and embrace what it tries to take. Okay?" he helps me up, his smile turning genuine. "Now let's get going. We need to save our friend after all."

I smile slightly and follow him, but not before looking at the Orc's dead body and bowing my head. "Ah sarry, res' i' peace," I say, cursing myself for speaking, but feeling like a weight lifts off my shoulders.

Naoko and me enter the next room to see a corridor. Not doors, no other ways except a straight path to the door on the other side. The corridor seems to stretch longer than it is and I tilt my head. Is this another of the Crypt's tricks? Naoko starts walking, gently keeping a hand on my shoulder. "Don't look anywhere else besides the door. If you do, you won't be able to leave," he whispers. I nod and lock my eyes on the door, refusing to look away. I wonder how Naoko knows all these tricks and illusions of this place. Has he been here before? Or is there more to him than I first thought?

As we keep walking, the corridor seems to become longer and longer, and it's like we aren't moving at all, even though I know we're walking forward. I feel my nose itch, and my eyes widen when I sense a sneeze. Oh no, if I sneeze here, I might look down and be stuck. If I'm going to save Sheik, I can't be stuck in a corridor! I hold my finger to my nose, gulping as I start to breathe in short breaths. No, don't sneeze, don't sneeze.

"Ah-ah-ah choo!" my head jerks down and I lose eye contact with the door as I cover my mouth with my sleeve. Naoko freezes as I open my eyes and look at the door again, sniffling quietly as if hoping that didn't count.

"Run," he says, and I feel my ears twitch as moans come from the walls. "Run Link!" he pushes me forward and we start sprinting, I see out of the corner of my eyes that long, purple arms and hands come out. They resemble the Dead Hand's arms, but they aren't clawed and seem to have an eye in their palm. "Great, Handmasters," he mutters sarcastically, annoyed. "Just keep running, Link! We're almost at the door!"

I blink doubtfully, we're not even halfway-

I don't get to finish my thought when my nose gets slammed into the door suddenly. I stumble back, but Naoko keeps me from falling and he opens the door, pushes me through, and closes it behind him, locking it with a conveniently placed piece of wood. He looks at me, huffing and puffing, looking confused. "Why didn't you open the door? It was right in front of you."

I tilt my head. What does he mean? It was so far away, then it just showed up in front of me. I rub my nose, finding that there's blood on my hand. Oh yeah, Ghirahim punched me in the nose, and it bled. Looks like I was too distracted to notice. I wipe my face as I look around. We're now in a fully lit room with a green mist hanging around in the air. Other than us, the room is empty. I reach out to touch the mist, but it evades my hand and dances around it, making me smile curiously. I walk forward, and chuckle when the wisps of mist dance around me, filling me with a renewed joy and determination to save Sheik. I look at Naoko to see he's staring at me, gobsmacked. "You are one of a kind, that's for sure," he says, awed. "Those are Misty Moths, they live in dark places filled with misery and are very viscous; they attack anything that has even the slightest bit of darkness in them. The fact that they don't attack you shows just how amazing you are."

I tilt my head at the 'Misty Moths' as one of the wispy things lands on my nose, making me go cross-eyed. They don't look like moths to me, they look like streams of gas or something. I can't help but smile though as I feel the Moth tickle my nose.

-Third POV-

Naoko can't help but shake his head in fascination. No one has _ever_ been able to get a Misty Moth to come close to them, let alone touch them. It really shows how innocent and young Link is, despite all she went through. Naoko can see very clearly as to why Sheik is so fond of the girl. It's hard _not_ to like her, though he knows many people probably do. It's a shame really, she's probably the most caring person Naoko has ever seen. She willingly came to the Crypt to save Sheik, and refuses to back down, even though she's terrified about speaking. That's true courage right there, and he can tell now why she has the Triforce of Courage.

The silver-haired boy smiles as more and more Misty Moths land on Link, covering every part of her skin they can touch. She doesn't even seem to care as she twirls in them, spreading her arms and laughing happily, giddy from their magic touch. One stray one pulls back a bit and Link notices. She smiles at the young stream of mist and gives out her hand, letting it rest on her finger.

Then, all at once, the Misty Moths fly off her and vanish, making the room dim as they leave. The only one that stays is the small Moth, which seems too weak to fly for very long. Link grins and gently runs her finger over the mist, hearing a soft tingling from the moth. "Ah ca' ya W'sp," Link's broken speech seems to reach the Moth, because it floats up and lands on top of Link's head, nuzzling into her dirty blonde hair. Another smile breaks across her face and she looks at Naoko with childish glee.

"Looks like you made a rare friend," he says, looking behind Link at the other door. "We should get going. With that Moth around, you shouldn't have to worry about losing your mind. Despite being quick to attack anyone with a cruel heart, they radiate happiness, that's the main reason their found in these places, because they give off hope."

Link just smiles fondly and turns to the door, keeping an eye out for anything that can attack them. The two head on, now with their companion, and go through the now empty room. Even Naoko feels refreshed from the Misty Moths' short presence and has a determined fire burning in his reddish-brown eyes. They are going to save Sheik, no matter what the cost.

Link clenches her fist, taking a deep breath. Even if she has to face the Hollow, she'll make sure it's the final time she ever encounters the monster. She doesn't care if the Hollow can't be killed by mortals, she'll give it her all, and even call upon the Power of the Goddesses if she has to. Yes, Link will even use magic if it means saving Sheik.

She smiles at the thought of Sheik's face, and her eyes spark with an emotion that Naoko catches, which makes him smirk gently. So Sheik's love isn't one-sided after all.

-Link's POV-

With Wisp lingering on my head, I feel as if nothing, not even Ghirahim or the Hollow, can stop me. Heck, I feel as if I can defeat Ganondork again without a problem! Oops, shouldn't get too carried away. The Dork Man is still an overly tall jerk, even if he is dead.

Well, for all I know, he could have been resurrected. I shiver. Okay, I should really calm down. I don't want to imagine The Dork Man coming back to snap my spine in two.

I start to calm down, although I'm still a bit giddy and ready to fight, and we go through the door. We find ourselves in a corridor that branches off into two ways, one to the right of us and one that to the left corner. I look at Naoko, since he knows more about this place than I ever will.

"We should go right. If I remember correctly, then the left way leads to a fiery pit of death," he says, walking right.

My ears twitch a bit as I tilt my head. Yep, he's been here before. But why? What purpose would he have here? Was it something like what we're doing now? I guess that's a big possibility, but I shouldn't ask. It might make him remember something he doesn't want to talk about.

We come down the corridor to find ourselves on the edge of an outcropping, a dark, seemingly endless pit below us and another outcropping on the other side. I look around, but don't spot anything that can help us. "Hmm, let's see, what can we do…? Well, I guess we could do…yeah, but she's too big to just…yes yes, I know," I raise an eyebrow at Naoko as he continues to talk to himself, his eyes are unfocused, yet somehow focusing on the other side at the same time.

Is this another trick of this place? Do you slowly start to lose your mind after being here so long? Naoko snaps his head at me and I jump slightly in surprise. "Link, do you have anything that can make you lighter and/or smaller than you already are?" he asks. I feel the Kokiri Stone, nodding slowly. "Good, do whatever it is. I have a plan to get us over there."

Not understating any of this, I hold the Stone tighter and shrink down, finding it odd how Naoko doesn't even seem to freak out about it like most people have. "Perfect!" he lays his hand flat on the ground, palm up, and I get on, sitting in the center as he brings me up to his face. "This helps us a lot. Alright, you see this crack?" he points to a spot in the wall at his eye level that I didn't see. "It might lead somewhere. Be careful and go through it, it might just lead to the other side."

Wisp, crackling, flies at Naoko's face, and he holds up his free hand, silently asking for Wisp to calm down. "She'll be fine. You could go with her if you want. I'll put up a barrier around me so nothing can see or feel me. They'll pass straight through me and be none the wiser."

I shiver, that sounds uncomfortable. He lifts me up to the crack and I crawl through. It's a tight fit, bit I manage to get in with the help of Wisp, who I know see is similar to a speck of dust. I look around the crack to see it's not just a crack, but a huge tunnel. Wow, who's the person who created this place? It's like they _knew_.

Shaking my head at how silly that is, I start walking to my left, wondering if this will lead all around the pit and let me out on the other side. The chances of that happening on my first try are very, very low.

Wisp flies ahead of me and lights up the way, since it's too dark in here for even my Twilight sense. Me and Wisp eventually find ourselves looking down at a pit of darkness, and I edge away from it and back up into the wall. Wisp suddenly dings as I feel the wall behind me move. Suppressing a gulp, I turn to see a lizard sleeping, moving slightly in its sleep. I back away slowly, making sure to also stay far from the pit, and go around the lizard, spotting another crack. I smile as I head over to it and get on my hands and knees, hoping I'll be able to fit. It looks pretty small even tome. Wisp dings again and I look over my shoulder to see the lizard standing, tasting the air with its tongue. I tense and flip around so my back's against the wall, eyeing the lizard.

Carefully, I turn back to the crack and start to crawl through, only to get stuck halfway. I struggle and grunt as I try to pull myself in, not even sure how I got stuck in the first place. Stupid cursed luck. I feel a chill go through me and soon Wisp is in front of me, hovering above my head and tingling. I give it a smile and grab a piece of lose rock, pulling it and trying to get unstuck. The sound of claws scraping against stone alerts me that the lizard's walking, and all I can do is hope I can get unstuck before it spots me.

But guess what? My luck sucks.

I feel something wrap around my ankle and gasp as I grip the stone hard, trembling as I feel like I'll be ripped in two. Oh Goddesses. Wisp goes through me again, sending another chill up my spine, and surprises the lizard, making it hiss as I finally get unstuck

I pull myself to my feet, dusting off my breeches and grateful of Wisp, who flies back in glowing with pride. I look around for a few seconds and see Wisp flying off. Not wanting to be left behind, I run after it, being careful not to trip. I groan in annoyance when I come to another crack, but this one is way too small for me to get through. Gee, now what?

"Hey, kid, how ya doing?" I jump and spin around, recognizing the voice. "Good to know you heeded my warning and got out of the Palace. And it's the night of the full moon! Oh the luck!" it clicks.

"Lun?" I say, forgetting not to speak. The night spirit laughs.

"Ah ah ah, kid, you don't want to go around talking, it could be bad for the future," he says. I still can't see where he is. "Oh, I'm in the shadows. I don't think you'd like me squashing you."

I shake my head and he chuckles. I wonder what he meant by his warning. "Do you not remember the old merchant in the market? That was me! I took his place to warn you about the Hollow. Nobody noticed because I slowed down time to have a chance to talk with you. Now, step away from the crack, it may or may not explode," I back up into the opposite wall and the crack glows for a second before exploding, sending up a cloud of dust. I cough and wave the dust from my face and when it settles, I see a hole in the wall. I walk to it and look to find I'm on the other side, somehow.

Geez, this place really disorients a person, doesn't it?

"You got that right, kid," I look up to see Lune leaning on the wall opposite of me, arms behind his head as he floats, legs crossed. "This entire crypt is full of lies and deception. Of course, what else could you expect? This place was built to make the souls of people who committed murders and such suffer. It was never meant for living people to enter. But it appears that Demon had different plans." He looks over to the other side and I hold onto the edge of the hole to look. Naoko kept his word, I don't see him.

"You're friend over there was smart to send you over. But I don't think it would end well if he saw me. Considering who I look like," Lune's moves his head as if rolling his eyes. I feel my ears fall as he says this. How could I have not noticed before? He looks an awful lot like the Hollow, what with being tall and having no face other than a mouth. Only difference is that Lune's skin is such a shadowy black, while the Hollow's is a more greyish-white. "So you see it? I'm surprise you didn't notice before, but I guess you were more preoccupied. Now, let's get you down and you can stand on that switch there," he nods to a floor switch and I nod, jumping onto his hand when he lends it. He puts me on the ground and he backs off into the shadows.

I wonder why he and the Hollow look so similar. "I'll tell you another time, kid. Just promise me one thing," he turns around and 'looks' at me from over his shoulder. "Don't get blinded by your fear. I know you're scared of the Hollow, you'd be foolish not to be, but don't get distracted by it. You're Farore's Champion for a reason, kid. Oh, look at the time," he looks at his wrist, some sort of weird gold thing is strapped around it. Do I hear it ticking? "I must get going. Those accused of being witches need me to help them out. People are so stupid," he says, shaking his head fondly before vanishing.

Who are being accused of being what? I shake my head, I think it's worth not bothering to deal with. Lune does seem like the type to be crazy. I use the stone and step on the switch, mind going back to Lune. I wonder how he knew I was going to be here.

A loud thud brings me back to reality and I wait as Naoko comes over, smiling brightly. "Good, that didn't take long at all. Come on, I think we're getting closer to the deepest chamber."

Can't tell whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I'll go with both.

We find ourselves in one long hallway, much like the other one we went through, but without the feeling of being watched. But this time, it inclines down steadily and we walk carefully, keeping our eyes peeled for any signs of danger. Wisp still flies in front of us, acting as a guide, and I'm grateful for its companionship, even if it's a little, at least Naoko and me are calm.

Once we make it to the door, I feel a cold chill run down my spine. I don't think I'm going to like whatever's beyond this door. Naoko opens the door and walks through, entering another dark room. I go in, a bit tentatively, and look around, getting more than a little unnerved when Wisp hides in my hat. Crap this can't be good.

"Oh, finally! You have _no_ idea how long I've been waiting for you, little hero," something pushes Naoko away and he crashes onto the floor. I spin and gasp, taking a step back when a very tall-thing?-stands behind me. It's about eight/nine feet tall, with purple skin, a bright, multi-coloured torso, a dark red X on its chest, two spikes on each shoulder, talon-like feet, a large head with dark eyes, with a single eye on its forehead between two horns. But those aren't the only eyes. There are two eerie orange/yellow eyes with jade green irises on its chest. It also has long whips where its hands should be. Holy Goddesses, this thing is so freaky. "I suspected that Orc would die quickly, but I didn't know how long it would take you to get here. Silly of me, isn't it?" she, as I can gather from her screechy, high-pitched voice, says. I think this is the…uh…person that was with Ghirahim the first time I met him.

Naoko groans and I peek around the thing to find him struggling to get up. I shake my head and raise my bow, ready to shoot the thing as she comes closer, forcing me to back up. I make double sure I don't end up in a wall. "Aww, how cute, that's exactly what that brat did when he was first fighting me. Give it up, you don't have the power to stop me. Without my brother's help, you won't be able to hurt me, let alone kill me," she giggles. "But enough talk about my brother. I'm here to make a proposal," I don't wanna marry you! "If you give up with this whole 'saving Hyrule' thing, you could join us and become richer beyond your wildest dreams, you can continue living and become a true ally, and," she pauses for some reason, probably to look dramatic, but it gives me the feeling she forgot what she was going to say, "we can give you a _real_ voice."

I scowl, furious. Ganondork gave me that choice, and my opinion on the matter hasn't changed. Now is as good as any to speak. "Ah'd 'ather die!" I yell, louder than I ever thought possible. I shoot the arrow, but the thing just knocks it out of the air with her whip and sends the other at me, wrapping around me and lifting me into the air.

"I was hoping you would say that," she grins, showing sharp teeth. I struggle as her whips coil tighter around me, like a snake. She squeezes the air out of me and I close my eyes, grunting as I try to fight back.

"Hey, Majora, did you forget about me?" Ma-Majora? I peek one of my eyes open to see Naoko send a throwing knife at…Majora apparently. That sounds…familiar.

Majora drops me and I land on my side, cursing the living daylights out of her. "You've heard of me?"

"Of course," Naoko says as I lift myself up. "Sheik isn't the only one who's interested in history."

'That explains so much…' I think thoughtfully, surprised that I didn't speak. Maybe I'm getting back in touch with my muteness.

Majora rolls her eyes and advances on Naoko. "You will get in the way, I can tell. Debby warned me not to kill the hero over there, but he didn't say anything about killing you," she grins and I tilt my head. Who's Debby? I shake my head from the thought as Majora brings up her whips and sends them at Naoko. I jump to my feet and run at her, trying to grab her from behind, but she jumps into the air and smashes her whips into Naoko, who flies through the air and hits the wall head first. I wince and roll back as Majora lands where I was standing, laughing like crazy. "That was too easy! But of course, no mortal can match a Goddess!" she twirls around like a little girl and her eyes settle on me, though I'm not sure which ones she looks out of. Heck, maybe she can see out of all of them.

Wait…_too_ easy? No, Naoko can't be…Majora runs at me, but I duck under her legs and run at Naoko, bending down to feel his pulse. The blood drains from my face when I find none. I feel my eyes sting, Sheik's closest and longest friend died, just like that. I turn to Majora, who's no longer there.

"Pft, you are so stupid, taking your eyes off of me. You're not worth my time, I really should be getting back to those plans of ours. So long," Majora's voice echoes as I look down at Naoko. I wipe my eyes and bend down beside Naoko.

"Ah'm sarry, Na'ko. Bu' ah'll b' dam' i' I 'eave ya 'ere," I whisper and get Naoko's body onto my back, stumbling a bit when I get to my feet. Wisp flies in front of my face, tingling in concern. I give a weak smile. "Ah go' sommat ta 'inish," I say, no longer cringing at my voice. I won't miss it, but I won't feel scared of something that's not fully real.

I walk on, Naoko's weight making every step harder, but I don't lose sight of what's ahead. I need to find Sheik, no matter what gets in my way.

Luckily, I don't run into any monsters and I soon find myself at yet another door, but this one is bigger than the others, and I know it's the final chamber. Beyond that door, the Hollow waits for me, and Sheik waits with it. Show no fear, and be strong. The door opens as I come close to it and I enter a grey room.

The first thing I see is Sheik lying on the opposite side of the room, still unconscious. I lay Naoko's body beside the door and look around, there's a circle of weird runes in the center of the floor, and I have a feeling that if I go into that circle, I'll summon the Hollow.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, mentally preparing for the next battle. Mustering up all the courage I have, I walk forward, head high, and stand in the center of the runes. The moment I do, the runes flash white and the room lights up with it, blinding me momentarily. I hear a screech and spin, my composure falters for a moment when I see the Hollow, not looking any different since the last time I saw it. I stand tall and unsheathe my sword, determined to save Sheik. We stand unmoving for a few moments, waiting for one of us to make the first move. That honour goes to the Hollow.

It runs at me, and slashes at me with its hook, but I manage to duck under it and take a swipe at its arm, only to be blocked by its other hook. The Hollow keeps slashing and hacking at me, weighing me down and trying to exhaust me as I'm forced to take the defensive route. It suddenly takes a different approach and catches my upper arm, hooking under my armpit and tossing me through the air. I land on my butt, facing away from the Hollow, and scramble to my feet, taking out a bomb. I light it and throw it at the Hollow as it comes closer, but it dodges the explosion and stabs low, cutting across my thigh.

I grimace and run backwards, not daring to take my eyes off of it for too long, but I trip (Sweet Nayru, what a time to be a klutz) and fall onto my back, bringing my shield up just in time for the Hollow to puncture through it and bend it, breaking my arm. I let out a scream of pain as the Hollow rips the shield off, tossing it to the side. I roll to the side as it hits down again, getting its hook stuck, and I get to my feet, trying to ignore my arm with little success.

I need to be careful, if I get killed, the Hollow will escape and created more problems for Hyrule, and everyone in it. There's no good outcome of me failing. This is what I hate about being the hero's incarnation, the entire kingdom rests on my shoulders, and I'm not allowed to just be a normal person.

The Hollow runs at me, too quickly for me to stop it, when something pushes me out of the way of its hooks. I fall to the side and sit up to see Sheik standing there, and rage fills me when I see the Hollow's hook is dug into his side. He gives me a soft smile before falling, breathing heavily due to that injury on top of others. Before I can help him, the Hollow grabs him and tosses him away, making my rage slowly build. I once again get to my feet and slash at the Hollow, but it's too agile and I can't land a hit. It feels like it's playing with me.

No matter what I use, bow, sword, bombs, hammer, it doesn't matter, the Hollow is too quick and smart to let me hit it, and I realize it's just trying to worn me out so it's easier for it to kill me. I can't waste my energy, but there's no chance for me to rest, and there's no way I can have any defence, since my shield is out of reach. I'm covered in cuts and skin punctures, all of them stinging and causing me to become sluggish. More than once I look at Sheik, and my rage builds with every glance.

The Hollow keeps pressing my boundaries, hitting me more and more as I become slower and less aware of my surroundings. It slashes at me and sends me across the room, making me land beside Sheik, who's slowly getting up. "Come on, Link," he helps me up, glaring at the Hollow. "We need to fight this thing together. You can't do it on your own," he takes out his chain-whip as the monster runs at us again.

Sheik heats up the whip, making it glow white hot, and sends it at the Hollow, but it easily dodges and hits both of us away. We land and I look at Sheik, feeling my face become hot in pure hate. The Hollow hit him in the exact same spot as before, and made the injury deeper and gushing with blood. I seethe as I look at the Hollow, my rage finally making me snap. I stand and growl, speaking without thinking. "You will _pay_ for that," I say, my voice cold and unbroken. I notice Sheik stare at me from the corner of my eye, but don't pay it any heed as I walk forward, lifting both my arms despite my broken one and I feel energy fill my body. I close my eyes for a second and reopen them to see fire covering my arms, burning brightly and hot, but I don't feel it. Even though I know I'm using magic, I kick my fear of it to the side, my anger feeding me. It let out a war cry as I run at the Hollow, surprising it. It quickly gets over the surprise and runs at me, ready to take me out. It swipes at me with its hooks and I punch at it, both of us hitting one another.

I skid on the floor and jump a little to turn around, facing the Hollow as it faces me again. I smirk when I see a burn on its side. Oh yeah, this monster will pay for all the people it's killed, for almost killing my father-figure, and being the reason Naoko is dead. I'm going to cause so much pain for it, that it will _wish_ mortals could kill it.

-Sheik's POV-

I gape at Link, my mind dull with shock. Did she just…_speak_? And where did she learn that spell? Even I don't know it. How come she's not freaking out? I can't wrap my head around this. Link and the Hollow run at each other again, and Link sends a long burst of fire at the monster, engulfing its torso in flame. It shakes the fire off and slashes at Link, ripping the side of her neck, but luckily not going so deep as to kill her. I try to get up, but for some reason my injury hurts more than it should. I look down and see just how injured I am. The Hollow must have been raking me for a while.

Wait…how did Link even know I was here? I look back to the fight to see Link somehow ended up on the Hollow's shoulders, hugging its head as the fire on her arms becomes stronger. The Hollow screeches, trying to get Link off, but its short arms can do nothing but get her legs. She's biting her lower lip and I see tears running down her face, which make my heart ache. A sudden jolt gets me to my feet and I summon my own fire, ready to help rid this world of the Hollow.

"Hey! Hollow!" I yell, getting its attention as he throws Link off. I narrow my eyes at it. "I'm not afraid of you! You're nothing but a bad excuse of a grim reaper!" I taunt, making it screech at me. It comes at me and I stand my ground, sending my fire spell at it. I hit it, but it also hits me again, sending me into the wall behind me. It stands above me and I try to summon my fire, but it dies out as I run out of magic. Dammit, what a time.

"Hollow!" I can't get used to Link's voice coming out of her mouth. I look beyond the Hollow as it turns to Link, who no longer has fire on her arms, but she lifts her hands in front of her and moves them apart. In the space between her hands an icy blue staff appears, a crystal ball on the top. Link herself seems surprised by it, but smirks as a man appears beside her. He's similar to the Hollow, but looks much more pleasant. "You surprised, Hooky?" Link smirks.

"Hey kid, I think it's time for the Hollow to come back to my realm, don't you?" the man asks and for once, I see the Hollow's faceless face become scared. Don't ask me how I can tell.

Link's smirk turns into a grin as she points the staff at the Hollow. The brightness of the runes gets sucked into it and the crystal ball glows in the same brilliant light. Link closes her eyes and I watch in amazement as a beam of light shoots at the Hollow, hitting it dead on and causing it to screech loudly, making the entire room shake. I get to my feet and limp over to Link, going behind her and wrapping my arms around her to help hold the staff and whispering into her ear, "Let's finish this."

She peeks open her eye and looks at me, smiling a little, and nods. We both close our eyes and I feel our own power transfer to the staff, making the beam larger and stronger. I open my eyes to see the Hollow rip off one of its hooks and throw it at us. Luckily the man catches it and the beam stops. Exhausted, Link and I collapse, the staff falling to the ground. I hug Link to me as she pants, shivering. I look at the man to see him walking to the Hollow, which is 'looking' up at him. "Time for us to go…brother," before either of us can ask, the man disappears with the Hollow, the monster's screech the only thing left of its existence.

I look down at Link, who's smiling up at me. "'Ook 'ho's do'n da savin' 'ow," she says and I chuckle, finding her speech cute.

"Yeah yeah, I wouldn't talk anymore if I was you. Am I to assume you're talking because of this place?" she nods, turning in my lap and hugging me gently, burying her face into my shoulder. "Thanks, Shorty."

She laughs. 'Anytime, Jerk.'

I look at the door and feel my face fall when I notice a still body. I can recognize that silver hair anywhere. "…Naoko?" I ask, my voice cracking. Link flinches, looking up guiltily.

'We were fighting a person called Majora, and, well, she killed him. I'm sorry,' she looks down, biting her lip.

"For what?" I ask, helping her up as we walk over to my friend's body. I feel tears run down my face as I try to hold back a sob, but I find it nearly impossible. He was my best friend, and he died trying to save me. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

'If I hadn't gone after the stray goat, I wouldn't have found myself in the Dead Tree Woods,' she looks away, tears running down her face as she wavers on her legs. 'I wouldn't have met the Hollow, and you wouldn't have been hurt, and Naoko would still be ali-' I don't know what causes me to do this, but I kiss her cheek softly, and I see her face become beetroot as I pull away, giving her a soft, comforting smile. 'Wh-wha?' she tilts her head, looking confused and baffled.

"You're cute when you worry, but you're cuter when you don't know what to think," I say honestly, grinning when her blush deepens. "Now stop blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault, we need to get out of here."

She nods silently and we're just about to make it to Naoko when he vanishes, nothing being left behind. "What?" I wonder when we're lifted off our feet and teleported away.

Once we land, I find myself in a strange place, and I can only think of what happened to Naoko when Link thinks, 'The Sacred Realm? But we didn't find the Sa-' she cuts herself off with a gasp when her eyes fall on a person standing on a deep purple circle, smiling.

"Naoko?" I whisper, wiping my eyes. "You're the Sage?"

He shrugs. "Apparently. Though I really wish there was another way to come here other than having to be killed. It hurts, you know?" he rubs his head and I laugh.

"No, I wouldn't know," I say. "Are you going to be alright?"

He waves his hand. "Of course I will be. Everything will go back to normal and you two can relax for a bit. Maybe together," Naoko smirks as I roll my eyes. "Well, I need to send you guys back. You'll be outside crypt. Oh, and Link, I'd watch out for your uncle's wrath," I look at Link as she winces. "He's not happy to find that you disappeared."

'Oh boy,' she thinks sarcastically.

Naoko tosses Link a Medallion and I nod at him and he nods back as the Sacred Realm vanishes and we find ourselves at the doors to enter the Crypt. I look at Link to find her opening her mouth, and she smiles in glee when nothing comes out. 'I'm mute again!' she cheers and I laugh.

"Only you, Link, only you," I shake my head and we help each other leave the Crypt. "That was some powerful magic you used back there," I say. "But what made you use it?"

She looks down. 'You were so hurt, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I did…that,' she shivers. 'I scared myself.'

I put my arm around her, drawing her close gently. "You used your greatest fear to save me, you really are something."

Then I get another shock when a small wispy sprite flies out of Link's hat, hovering in front of her face before flying over our heads and towards the Crypt. "…What?" I ask after blinking a few times.

'That was Wisp, it helped me in the Crypt,' she shrugs. 'I'm so relieved that the Hollow is gone. I never have to see it again.'

I just smile and we start heading towards the throne room when I hear a shout. "Link! Where the Din's Hell did you run off to?" and here's Charlie. "I turn my back on you for one second and you're off! And-" he notices me and stops short. "You went to save him, didn't you," he says, he seems more scared than angry. She nods and Charlie sighs. "But you really had me worried. Don't go running off again," he says, looking us over. "Come on, let's go get those injuries healed."

As we walk, I explain what happened in the Crypt and about the Hollow. Charlie listens without interrupting; only nodding here and there. We come to my room when I talk about Naoko being the Sage. "So you found the Sage without evening meaning to?" he asks as he bandages Link's arm into a sling.

I nod. "Yeah, but I'm surprised it was Naoko. I was half expecting the Sage to be Sonja."

"What where you expecting me to be a Sage of?" I look to the door to see Sonja standing there.

"The Sage of Shadow. As it turns out, that's Naoko."

Sonja raises an eyebrow. "Really? Oh. I'll be back later, then," she says and turns.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asks.

"Somebody needs to tell Penny that her son is a Sage," she says over her shoulder as she leaves.

'Ow,' I turn to Link as she rubs some blue potion onto her leg, eyes squeezed shut. 'How are your injuries?' she asks.

I sit beside her on the bed, taking some bandages to wrap around my hand. "I'm fine, just a bit sluggish and my side stings," I say when I hear someone clear their throat. "Are you alright."

'I'll be fine after I sleep,' she yawns and I resist hugging her. Oh Goddesses, this is getting harder than I thought.

"Sheik, I would like to speak with you," Master Hitoshi says as he comes in, giving a nod and smile to Link and Charlie.

I follow him to his study and he sits down, looking exhausted. "Sheik, you can hear Link's thoughts, can't you?" he's looking through a book while he says this.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Almost as long as I've known her. Why?" I ask.

Master Hitoshi sighs and closes the book, showing me the cover. _Guardians and Connections, a History_. Why is he showing me this? Before I can ask, he explains. "Sheik, you know that a Connection between a Sheikah and someone else is rare, right?" I nod, obviously. "Well, a Guardian is even rarer. Guardians are Sheikah who are born to protect a single person with all their strength. But was has never been imagined before was that a Connected Guardian would be born. And the first one was born nineteen years ago, almost twenty in the New Year. Do you know who it is?" I shake my head. "It's you Sheik," my eyes widen. "You're the first Connected Guardian."

"B-but I don't have a Connection with anybody," I stammer, finding it hard to believe.

"Yes you do, you have since the first time you saw her as a day-old baby," Master Hitoshi sits back, smiling at the memory. "Sheik, you may not remember, but your father was close friends with Link's parents," I give Master Hitoshi a thoughtful look. "He brought you and Sonja to meet Amethyst and Joshua, Link's parents, many times. And one day, they had Link. I went with you three to see her, and when I was walking through the house to go outside, I heard whispers coming from Link's room when everyone was downstairs letting her rest. I looked through the room to see you, a two-year-old, looking into the crib she was in and whispering to her. It took all I had not to go and get everyone downstairs."

My mind works double-time and the conclusion to my thoughts is hard enough to feel like someone slapped me. "Master, are you saying that I'm…I have a Connection with Link?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You heard her thoughts, and I believe she can now hear yours. But you two have more than just a Connection, you're not just close to hear each other's thoughts, you're her Guardian and…" he looks like he wants to say something, but shakes his head and carries on. "And you feel the need to protect her. You're her Guardian, and you two share a strong Connection," he stands and walks over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Go rest up, Sheik. Charlie was talking to me, and we wants to do something for Link, that involves you."

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow.

"He wants to show her the village where the Hylians are, and he wants you to come," Master Hitoshi says.

I smile. "That sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow, Master," I say and bow to him before going.

My mind brainstorms as I walk to my room. Link's birthday is in the next few days, so this will be a good present for her. I plan to make her eighteenth birthday something to remember, that's for sure. I enter my room to see Link resting in the bed, Charlie standing beside it and watching her. "I guess Hitoshi told you about my plans?"

"Yeah."

"Good, we'll leave tomorrow so we get there in time for Little Beast's birthday," Charlie smiles and brushes Link's cheek. "Good night," he says fondly before nodding to me and leaving. I go and wash up before coming to the bed, getting under the covers and turning my back to Link, when I feel something poke my back. I look over to see Link grinning at me goofily. I turn so I'm resting on my back, about to ask why she poked me, when she moves closer and snuggles into me, letting out a sigh.

'Night, Sheik,' she thinks, closing her eyes.

"Night, Link," I say and when I hear her snoring, I whisper into her ear softly. "I love you."

Gery: D'awwww, Sheik finally said it. Too bad Link didn't hear it. Well, I think that went pretty well, wasn't really sure how I was going to 'kill' the Hollow, so I just made it so Lune took it away. Did I surprise you with Lune calling the Hollow his brother? Well, I came up with the idea when I was reading over my Specials, and I noticed I made it so both Lune and the Hollow only had mouths, so I thought I'd make it so they were brothers, to spice things up. Lune will probably explain to Link about the whole thing another time. Goddess, I found it hard to describe Majora, with all the different patterns on her. Yes, I think Majora's a girl. Surprise! But anyway next chapter is going to be a relaxing one for Link and Sheik. What kind of things well they get up to in Hylia Village? What will Sheik get for Link? And what will Link think when she sees her parents graves and burnt-down house? How will she feel being in a place filled with Hylians? Find out next chapter! See ya!


	24. Chapter 20

To Ethereal780: Thanks! I found it enjoyable to write. Yeah, I thought it was cute making her talk with such horrible speech. Yep, she used magic, but she's still afraid of it, Sheik'll probably help her slowly get less afraid of it, but it will always stay as a fear. *Nod* Yes he did, such a brave boy (I know, right?). You'll find out later ;)

To alemery: Yep. Thanks!

To Zelda's Spirit93: Yay! Yeah, I like them a lot. (Nope, Alex is already married (need to make a wife for him) and Nura and Adam are lovers. So they won't be a couple.) (Because she likes her sleep and Sheik himself isn't fully ready for her to hear it.) I didn't intend to have that part, but I thought I'd make it funny for Link to misjudge what Majora was saying. Psh, I didn't either *laughs*, it just sorta happened, ya know, like everything else in this Fic. I did too, but I thought that she needs to just be a duchess of the Sheikah, she doesn't have to have Sage duties as well. (Really? Huh, never thought of that) Hahaha, who's the 10% you don't like? Well, I like to make the people seem at least a little real, even if their world defies logic. (Example. Too slow? Pop some bunny ears on your head, you can be faster than a horse!) *In a sing-song voice* You'll have to wait and seeeee. You'll find out later, possibly this chapter. Oh, I have plans on changing what race the Spirit Sage is, and I can thank Mihang for that. (Yeah, I find it stupid. I mean, they're a race of Shadow Folk, they'll be good at hiding. And just because no one can find them, doesn't mean their extinct. Look at the fish in the sea, there are hundreds we still don't know about, that doesn't mean they're all dead.) (Good, just the way she acts and her voice when you hit her kinda ruins the image that she's a dude) *Blinks* You're psychic…aren't you? She's a little bit of both. (Naw, it's just saddening when I can't read it off the sight because it hasn't loaded and I'm forced to have to wait because Hotmail has a limited space) P.S: Thanks! And the wait is over!

To Shiro: Bombs are fun, and she can fight without her sword, just not well, Rusl trained her in swordsmanship after all. Yes he did, he cracked his skull on the wall Majora tossed him into. Just one of those days. Of course, had to add in the thing of children's nightmares sometime. Thanks!

To Lady Fai: That's great! Thanks. *shrugs* No worries, stuff happens, ya know?

To alfred pierce: Yay!

To nakku: Thank you. About time, right? Yep! I'm not sure when though, maybe soon, maybe not *shrugs* Thanks! No worries. Aww you go through that trouble just to read my Fanfic? Thank you so much!

To TheZeldaGmer: Yep, about time, isn't it? This sort of acts as that, I didn't have much time to actually work on a Special, but this chapter _could_ go under that category, just a bit of a long one.

To Mihang: No worries. I am too ^_^ Yay! Party! Yeah, Sheiky Boy isn't quite ready for her to hear it when awake, so yeah. That's what she did, Naoko's mom knows what being a Sage means, and the way to awaken. Ya do now! Alright, good luck! Here ya goooooooooooooo! :D

Gery: *Jaw drops* H-holy cow…wow, um…just…wow

Alex: What is it this time?

Gery: *Smiling* We got over a hundred reviews!

Alex: I don't believe that

Gery: I don't care if you do or not! Thanks to all my reviewers and viewers! You guys help me so much, just by giving me a chance! *hugs* Thank you _so_ much! Cookies for everyone!

Adam: You haven't done that in a while

Gery: It's only for special occasions. Well guys, you know I don't own Zelda, only the plot to this and OCs

Nura: How come we still have to do this after twenty some chapters?

Gery: *shrugs* Dunno, it's just to be safe. Enjoy!

Chapter 20: Birthday Surprise

-Link's POV-

For once, I don't feel awkward when I wake up with Sheik's arm around me. Guess it's happened so much that I just got used to it. I yawn a little, still drowsy from sleep. Goddesses, I hope I can just lay back and relax for a while before having to go find the last Sage. I smile, a little giddy. We're so close to finishing this! And maybe after I find the Sage, I won't have to worry and can just relax.

I snort. Yeah, that's just wishful thinking. I turn to look around and look out the window, only to have the sun shine in my eyes. I jerk back and turn my head into Sheik, making him tense for a second before relaxing. "Did you want to give me a heart attack? Because you almost did," he mutters into my hair. I laugh.

'Sorry, Sheik,' I pull back with a grin. 'The sun just surprised me.'

He chuckles. "Out of everything that happened yesterday, you get surprised by the sun?"

'…Yes,' I nod shortly and he laughs again, pressing his forehead into mine.

"You're amazing, you know that?" I rub the back of my head, I'm not that amazing. "Just take a compliment, will you?" he shakes his head and shoves the covers off, stretching as he stands.

'I will when you will,' I think and go to change. Luckily someone, I suspect Charlie, put my usual tunic and breeches on a small table, along with my hat. Once dressed, I peek out of the washroom to find Sheik gone and shrug, guess he went to go eat.

My ears fall when my stomach growls loudly. Guess I should go eat. I didn't realize how hungry I was before, but now it feels like my stomach wants to eat itself. Shaking my head, I leave the bedroom and look down both the corridors, at a loss of where to go. It's not like I'm bad with directions, but the inside of palaces and castles all look the same to me, so I usually get lost in them. It's just by a stroke of luck I found my way around yesterday. I shiver at remembering everything that happened. It felt so unreal, me talking and using magic. It almost feels like it didn't even happen, like it was just a dream. But then my muscles ache and I feel the new cut on my neck from the Hollow's hook, and I know I didn't dream it. I have a feeling this cut will be a new scar soon.

Disregarding that for now, I walk down the right corridor, hoping my growling stomach will lead me to the kitchen or mess hall.

Passing by a number of people, I find myself pulling my hat almost over my eyes to keep them from staring at my ears. Some of the teens my age and younger take a few steps back if they see me to try and get a glance of me, but I run off before they can really look at me. I wish there were some place that I wouldn't attract attention because of my race.

As I think this, I round a corner and stop short from bumping into Charlie, who smiles brightly when he sees it's me. "There you are, Little Beast! C'mon, I wanted to talk to you," he slings an arm around my shoulders and steers me the way he came. "Because I am your uncle, I know that your birthday is in a few days, and I wanted to make up for the seventeen and a half years I've been gone, so I have a great idea. How about I take you and Sheik to Hylia Village?" he beams and I blink at him. Hylia Village? He smiles softly and pulls me into a hug, I'm not really sure how to respond. "Link…Hylia Village is where the Hylians live. And it's the place where you were born," I look up at Charlie with wide eyes. "I want you to know you're not alone, and to show you, I'm going to take you to the village, and we're going to visit your parents' graves. I think it's time for you to know your heritage, and about your parents," my eyes sting slightly and I look down, biting my lip. "Hey, cheer up, Beasty. I promise you you'll have the best time of your life. And Sheik will be coming as well."

I tilt my head. That would be nice, but why do I have the feeling Charlie's planning something devious?

"We should go get something to eat, you must be hungry," he says and my stomach growls in replay, making him laugh. I smile a bit and we go to the mess hall to find it crowded with Sheikah guards and other residents of the Palace. I keep my head down as we go through and Charlie gets us to a free seat and makes me sit down. I glare at him and he grins wolfishly as his eyes flick behind me for a second. I look to see Sheik sitting there, looking about as surprised as me. He looks at Charlie blankly.

"You had to practically drop her on me?" he asks.

Charlie shrugs and grins. "It was my goal," he chuckles and leaves before we can respond.

'My uncle's weird,' I think, smiling fondly.

"It's a family trait," that comment earns a smack on the arm. Sheik laughs and catches my hand, putting it on the table so he can eat.

We're silent for a few moments before a question enters my mind. 'Sheik, do you know about the Hylia Village?'

He shakes his head. "No. Master Hitoshi only mentioned your parents living just outside of it, he never explained where it was exactly or how you got there. All I know is that only Hylians and people Hylians trust can get in."

'So you'll be able to get in then!' I smile brightly and eat some soup. Sheik raises an eyebrow.

"You trust me?"

I nod. 'Yep. With my life!'

Sheik beams at that, looking overjoyed. Without his shawl, his hair is tied out of his eyes and they shine brightly despite being deep crimson. I never knew he could look so cute…

…What did I just think?

I'm taken out of my thoughts when Sonja sits down between me and Sheik, saying loudly, "Hey, Lovebirds!" and slams a tray down in front of her. Sheik glares at her and I smile in greeting, moving over a bit to give her more room. "Jeez, being a Duchess is hard work. I got ten different meetings I've got to organize and I need to go to Hyrule Castle in the next week to clear up that peace treaty with Princess Zelda," it sounds so weird for someone to be saying Zelly's whole title. I honestly don't hear it much, it's either Princess or Zelda. "And to top it all off, the trials to see if the people in the dungeons are going to stay there will take _months_ to complete," Sonja bangs her forehead on the table, letting out a deep, stressful sigh before a smile breaks on her face. "But I'm happy. At least we never have to worry about a certain tyrant ever again."

"So, Osamu's…" Sheik trails off as Sonja straightens. The Duchess nods slowly, eyes fading a bit.

"Yeah…Osamu's dead. He didn't even last a full day in the Sun Chamber, which is pathetic considering the people he sent in there and could live like that for a week at most," she looks down. "It was so…weird to see his body not moving…"

I give Sonja a one-armed hug. Despite Osamu being a bitter tyrant, he was still Sonja's father. She must have had a hard time fighting and defeating him. She gives me a smile in return and ruffles my hair, to my annoyance. "Thanks, Short Beasty," oh great, new nickname. "So I hear you and Sheik are going to Hylia Village. I'd advise you to be careful, Sheik. The Hylians may not trust you because they won't know the news about Osamu yet. I've sent messengers ahead of me to Hyrule Castle, but I won't hear from them for a few days. Just make sure you don't anger them, because they will kill you if you set them off."

'I'd never let them do that!' I think, looking at my bowl of soup. 'I don't care if they are my own race, I will defend Sheik if they try to hurt him!'

I glance at Sheik to see him talking to Sonja, patting her shoulder reassuringly. He's a great guy. He cares so much about people, even though he tries to hide it by being the tough guy. I smile to myself, I remember when we first met, he only cared about getting himself out, but I don't think that's true anymore. He cared, he just didn't want to tell me, a stranger, about his plans, I guess. He's never once shown that side of himself after we got to know each other, and he's becoming more and more open with me. He told me about his past! He told me something he had told no one else! To think he trusts me enough for that, I love it.

Sheik smiles and I feel my heart flutter. His smile is so real, I can't see anything fake behind it. He opens up so much more than me, and I have a deep feeling that once someone has his trust, they have it. No middle ground, they just have it. That's the kind of person who I can always be with. Someone who trusts me with every little thing.

"It will be alright, Sonja. We've still got each other, and Master Hitoshi will always be there for us. You'll get through this," Sheik says and my smile grows as I watch my soup become cold. He acts like a brother to Sonja. Well, they did grow up together, so they might as well be. But when he's around me, he acts a little different. He doesn't treat me like a sister, he treats me like a close, best friend, and I'm so grateful that he does. If he ever said he loves me like a sister, I think it would hurt more than I would expect.

Huh, why am I thinking about this all of a sudden? Whenever I think deeply of Sheik, my stomach gets filled with butterflies and my heart feels like its flying. What a strange feeling. It's so alien to me, yet somehow it feels like…I've felt like this before. I close my eyes to try and think of when I felt like this, but I can't place any time in my life I've felt the way I do.

'I guess it's just nothing,' I think and push it out of my mind, tuning back into the conversation.

"-and no matter what, I've got your back," Sonja says, hugging Sheik. "If Hyrule does fall into a war, than you'll have the shadows on your side."

Sheik hugs back. "Thank you so much, Sonja. You've been a great help."

"Thank you two. The Sheikah would still be under Osamu's control if it weren't for your sacrifices," Sonja looks at both of us and stops on me. "And the pain you went through, you withstood it all, just to help set my people free. I can't thank you enough, Link," she hugs me too and stands, rubbing her slightly red and puffy eyes. "I've got to go. Master Hitoshi is going to help me set up the next meeting," she walks off, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve.

I look around the mess hall, smiling at all the happy faces. The guards are joking and laughing, the Pages and Squires are running around for their jobs, and even the Mythical Beasts are relaxing. Chimera is resting by the double doors, with Cerberus chewing on a large rug beside him. Through the open doors I can see Elsie and Felix perched outside, basking in the desert sun. I see Rocky stretch, waking up from his sleep, and smile, getting an idea. I tug Sheik's sleeve and get up, heading towards my dragon.

"Where are you going, Link?" he asks as he comes outside. I'm scratching right under Rocky's chin and he's rumbling loudly in content.

'Come here,' I wave him over and Rocky becomes silent once he sees my friend. I calm him down by rubbing his scaly nose, and motion for Sheik to stand beside me. 'Keep calm and don't get scared if he jumps suddenly,' I tell him, listening to Rocky coo and purr. 'You never really met Rocky before, and I want you guys to get to know each other! I've taken care of Rocky when I was young, and you're such a close friend, so you two will see each other a lot. Why not become trusting of one another?' I smile and take Sheik's hand, slowly bringing it to Rocky's face.

'And if he bites my fingers off?' Sheik asks through telepathy as Rocky sniffs his hand.

'He won't,' I assure him and gently push his hand on Rocky's nose, seeing his eyes widen at the feel of the water breathing dragon. Rocky calms under Sheik's touch and coos, pushing his nose into him as I let go and step back. Rocky rumbles and coils around me and Sheik, pulling us so close to each other that our noses touch. I blush lightly and see Sheik's cheeks turn red as I feel Rocky looking at both of us, as if expecting something to happen. Elsie and Felix both snicker and fly off, which makes me mentally yell at them to shut up and help.

'Does he normally do this?' Sheik asks.

'No. Dunno why he's doing it either,' I turn my head to look at him, my dragon just smiles. 'Rocky, let us go.'

Rocky makes a rumbling noise that sounds like a sigh and moves away. I tilt my head at him, wondering why he did that. 'You can be very strange sometime,' I think, scratching between his eyes. I smile and lift myself onto him to sit behind his head and give Sheik my hand. 'C'mon, we'll go for a flight.'

Sheik smirks and I help him get on. 'You might want to hold on,' I tell him as he sits behind me. 'Rocky can get pretty fast,' I lower my head a bit and pat his neck. He shoots off the balcony and I feel Sheik wrap his arms around my middle and laugh, turning my head to look at him. 'Told ya.'

He rolls his eyes. "You didn't give me any time," he mutters, straightening but not letting me go. Odd. Rocky flies higher into the air until we're so far up the Palace looks like a toy before evening out and gliding through the air. "How does he fly without wings?" Sheik yells over the wind and I wince. He yelled in my ear.

'Use your telepathy thingy while we're here. And I'm not too sure, but I think he uses some sort of magic to manipulate the air and wind around him, allowing him to fly,' I think.

"Where are we going, Ma?" Rocky asks, flying in circles over the City.

'Can you tell him we're just going to soar for a bit? It'll be good for him to relax,' I ask Sheik and he nods.

"She wants you to relax and fly around easily," he says and Rocky nods.

"Okay, Pa," he says, making me tilt my head. He just called Sheik 'Pa'.

-Sheik's POV-

My eyes widen when Rocky calls me 'Pa'. Why the Din's Hell did he call me that? Okay, think this through. He calls Link 'Ma' all the time, and judging by how Link's tilting her head adorably, she's never heard him say that to anyone. And to mention he practically forced Link and I together on the balcony. Does Rocky know my feelings for Link, or does he just think we should have feelings for each other? Come to think of it, Elsie and Felix both seemed unsurprised Rocky did that to us, so maybe, since they _are_ animals, they can sense my feelings.

I blush at the thought of when Link and I had been so close. It took so much of my willpower not to move in and just kiss her. Her eyes are starting to pull me in harder, and she doesn't even realize. I sigh quietly. This is going to be much harder than I thought. I can't go right out and say 'I love you' to her. Sure, I said it last night, but she had been asleep, and I wasn't fully ready for it. But what if she doesn't love me back? What if she thinks of us as 'just friends'?

My mind drifts back to what Master Hitoshi told me yesterday. I have a Connection with Link, and I'm supposed to be her Guardian. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he also seemed to know he couldn't. It could be something he wants me to figure out on my own, but what is it?

I'm taken out of my thoughts when Link leans back into me, letting out a soft sigh of content. 'I'm so glad it's almost over.'

'What?'

'This quest to find the Sages. It's been so tiring and it seems like such a long time has passed, but it's only been a little more than a month. So much has happened during that time too, I found out I could be a wolf again, I saw Midna again, Zant came back, a new threat is coming. But the best moment I've had is when I met you, as a human,' my face heats up and my heart pounds heavily. I hope she can't hear it. 'You did come off as an arrogant jerk at first, but I know now that that was just to keep strangers at bay. You really care for people, for everyone, and you seem like you'd be a great brother, or even a dad,' okay, now my face feels beetroot. 'You've helped me so much. You saved me as Shorty, you helped me break free of that curse, you saved me from blood loss in Jabu's Temple, you came after me when I was captured, even though you hated Osamu, and you told me about your past. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Sheik,' she turns her body to look at me in the face, a huge smile on her face and her eyes shining with brilliance. 'I'm so, _so_ grateful I met you. You've made the last few weeks bearable, and fun. Thanks. For everything,' she pushes her head into my neck and I smile gently as I rest my head on hers.

I open my mouth to say the three words of truth, but stop. No. I know my feelings, but I don't think Link is ready to hear it just yet. She still has a lot on her plate, and I don't want her to get distracted. And she's so young still. She's not even an adult yet.

But she will be in three days. She'll be considered an adult everywhere, and even if there's not much of a difference in her, I feel that it will feel more right if I wait these few days. I tighten my arms around her, pulling her onto my lap as she makes a soft squeak, which makes me chuckle. 'You're welcome, Shorty. I'm happy I met you two. And you saved me as well. I was giving up hope about saving my people, I was at the end of my rope and I couldn't find out how to climb up. But when I met you, I didn't feel it at first, but I felt so relaxed around you and the nightmares I had been having disappeared, as if your innocence radiated off of you. And after that dance we had during Edward's party, I felt as if I'd never find that girl, that beautiful, wonderful girl, behind the mask,' I feel her face become hot on my neck and she looks up, blushing deeply. 'But turns out it was really you all along. Thanks for bowling me over,' I laugh.

'You're, uh, welcome?' she laughs and looks ahead, seeming not to notice she's still on my lap. 'Should we go back now? Charlie will probably want to leave soon.'

'Yeah, let's go,' I nod and I tell Rocky to head back. The dragon nods and turns by flying up in a circle like a backflip, making me grab onto him and hold Link to make sure she doesn't fall off, and he straightens his course, flying smoothly again. I open my eyes, only now realizing I closed them, and look down to see Link peeking out of her arms, where she was hiding her head.

'What's with Rocky today?' she wonders as I help her sit up.

'I'm not sure,' I look at the dragon's head to see him glance at us and I see a smirk in his eye. So he _is_ trying to get us together. He could have done it in a better way.

We come back to the Palace and I slide off, landing on my feet. I hear a squeak and don't even look up before I hold out my arms and Link falls into them, being the clumsy person she is. She looks at me and blushes, mind muttering a 'sorry' and I help her to her feet, smiling.

"Don't worry about it, Shorty," I say and pat Rocky's shoulder. "Thanks," I whisper, having a feeling he helped just now. Rocky nods and takes off for some more flight as Link and I head into the Palace.

Link stretches as she follows me through the corridors, letting out a yawn. "You're really tired from yesterday. Maybe you should get some rest," I suggest.

'Naw, I'm fine. Besides, I'm too excited to sleep. I finally get to see my own race!' she thinks happily, smiling.

I smile back, putting an arm around her shoulders as she stifles a yawn with her hand. "I'm happy for you. Now let's go find Charlie. We'll probably be going soon."

She nods and we keep walking through the corridors, talking about where we think the last Sage will be. 'So we need to go see the Gerudo. I hope Nura can help, I only saw them from afar when I went through the Gerudo Desert last time,' she thinks.

"In that case, you might want to dress like a girl," I say. "They'll be less hostile if there are two women."

'But I don't want to wear a dress,' Link frowns.

I open my mouth to say 'you don't half to', when Charlie calls from down the hall. "Hey, you two! You guys should get packed, we'll leave in a bit. It will most likely take about a day to get there, but I remember the way perfectly so we won't get lost," he grins.

Link grins back and runs towards the chambers. I shake my head as I watch her go, so childish. "Hey, Sheik," I look at Charlie, who's smirking. "Take care of her, will you? I don't want my niece to get hurt or lost again. And if a battle or something breaks out, protect her. She may be a great knight, but I fear she won't be able to fight in a war. So make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

"I do that already," I reply and head off to pack, my mind swimming. With the way things are going, I'm worried that there might actually be a battle, or possibly a war. The Twilight Smog will probably aid Ghirahim and his demons, so they will have the advantage. And if something goes wrong, I'll make sure Link is safe and sound.

I come to my room to find Link talking to Navi about going to Hylia Village, and I hide behind the door to listen. '…and I'll finally be able to fit in! This place will have Hylians like me. I won't ever have to feel like I'm the only one anymore! I can barely wait!'

Navi giggles. "I'm happy for you. Was it hard growing up?"

'Yeah. Since no one else in Ordon had pointed ears, I always felt out of place and alone. When I went to Castle Town for the first time as human, I felt so lost and disoriented, and everyone kept staring at me. Some would whisper that I'm an obvious outsider, some talked about how I looked so out of place, and a couple even scowled at me because they thought I smelled. But most people saw my ears and would gasp, trying to get a better look as if I was some exotic creature. It was scary.'

"Does that still happen now?"

'Yes, only it's worse now because they know me as 'The Hero of Hyrule' and try to talk to me and make me do simple things they're too lazy to do.'

"I don't think you'll have to worry in Hylia Village, so at least there's that. I'll be going with Sonja to Hyrule Castle so I can tell Zelda where you and Sheik will be. I hope you have a good time."

'I know I will!' I can practically feel Link grin and smile myself. I'll make sure of that. Navi flies out the door and bobs to me as she passes. I nod back and look into the room to see Link stuffing her arm into her Dimensional Bag until her shoulder, looking for something.

"Need help?" I ask and she jumps at my voice. She looks at me and shakes her head before looking back at the bag.

'No, I was just curious of how far I could get my arm into the bag,' she smiles as she ties the bag to her belt. I shake my head, somehow, that doesn't surprise me.

-Later, Link's POV-

Sheik, Charlie and me walk out of the Palace after saying goodbye to Sonja and Master Hitoshi, ready to head to Hylia Village. When walking through the City, the Sheikah go about their business like they did the day I arrived, but everyone seems cheerful and relaxed, instead of scared and tense. Some Sheikah wave to us as we walk by and I laugh when I get hugged by the little girl I saved the other day. Harmony, I think her name was. She thanks me in squeals as her brother comes up to us, smiling brightly.

"I can't tell you how thankful I am," Thomson says, bowing to us slightly with his left fist in his right palm. "It's all thanks to you we can walk out and not be afraid. It's almost like a dream."

"I'm just happy it's not a dream. I think I prefer reality to dreams anyhow," Charlie says, grinning at me. I grin back. My uncle-hee, still can't get over that-looks back at Thom and bows his head. "I should be thanking you. I'd still be stuck as a slave if it weren't for you leading the Rebels."

Thom smiles as he takes Harmony's hand. "We need to get going. I hope to see you again," he waves and we continue on, my excitement growing by the second.

Sheik laughs. "You'd be singing right now if you could, wouldn't you?" he asks, nudging me gently.

'Yep!' I say cheerily, nudging him back. We enter the stables that lead out of the City and I beam when I see Epona in one of the stalls. ''Pona!' I mind-cheer, running to her and hugging her neck. 'How are you, girl?' I ask, backing up to rub her nose. She nuzzles me happily and I laugh. 'What are you doing here?' I wonder, taking an apple I snatched from the mess hall out of my pocket. I was going to eat it, but I think Epona would like it more.

Charlie comes up beside me, whistling. "She's a beauty, isn't she? Animals really did always love you. Except cats, they seemed to just scratch and bite you," he chuckles. I knew cat's where evil. Charlie gives out his hand for Epona to sniff, but my temperamental mare just lays her ears back and watches Charlie, not trusting him.

I pat her neck, clicking my tongue quietly. 'It's alright, this is Charlie. He's my uncle,' I think. Epona's ears flick up and she looks sideways at Charlie, not really liking him yet.

"I don't think she likes me," Charlie says good-heartedly.

'Sheik, could you tell him Epona just doesn't like strangers?' I ask, hating to ask him to translate.

He yells from the other side of the stalls. "Epona doesn't like strangers!" I stifle a giggle, that's right, a giggle, when the owner of the stalls yells at him to pipe down. That's when I hear a small squeak and look down to see Rouge standing on my boot, looking up at me.

'Yay! Cell buddy!' I mentally cheer and bend down, picking him up. He climbs into my hair again, squeaking, and settles down, making me laugh. I look at Charlie when he clears his throat to see his eyebrow is raised.

"Is that the same rat?" I nod. "He seems to like you. Lucky, you get the whole animals-love-you-thing from your mother," my ears perk up at this. "She could befriend even _bears_ if they weren't tired from hibernation. I remember one time, you're father freaked out because he saw you playing with a bear cub, and your mother was standing beside the cub's mother, patting the bear's shoulder. I cried from laughing so hard," Charlie whips an imaginary tear from his eye at the memory and I look down slightly, still smiling. That sounds hilarious.

Epona nudges me and I laugh, climbing into the stall and getting onto her back, which is bare. I still wonder how she got here, but I've learned not to think about it. My mare's faithful as Din's Hell and always finds her way to me.

I walk her out of the stall and see Sheik trotting up on a Joyce, smirking when he looks at my head. "I see you're cell buddy doesn't want to leave you."

'I don't mind,' I think, smiling as I look cross-eyed at my forehead. 'Besides, maybe he can help me pull a few pranks on people.'

He chuckles, shaking his head. "You may act cute and innocent, but deep down, you're evil, aren't you?" he jokes. I laugh.

'It's always the ones you least expect…wait, what was that about cute?' I tilt my head and I see his cheeks turn pink.

"What? You are cute," he mutters, his face turning back to its normal colour. I wish he wouldn't wear the shawl so much, I don't like not being able to see his face.

I'm about to ask him to unwrap his head when Charlie comes up on a steely grey stallion. "Well, let's get going!" he says enthusiastically and leads his horse out, us a few paces behind.

While we cross the desert, I pull at my tunic neckline. I'm not wearing my undershirt, that would kill me in this weather, but my tunic is still pretty warm. Not to mention that it takes close to nothing for me to be hot, but I don't get cold, usually. Snowpeak was testing my limits and I was just lucky my blood is so warm. I would have frozen to death if it weren't for that. I notice Sheik looking at me in concern and smile reassuringly at him, not able to think much from the heat. This just makes his eyebrows meet in deeper concern. "You alright, Link?" he asks, making Charlie look over his shoulder to look at me.

"If you want to stop for a rest, we can," he says. I shake my head. I want to get to Hylia Village as soon as possible. I want to see where I was born. "You shouldn't push yourself, Beasty. We can stop for a bit. We'll make it before nightfall."

I just shake my head again. I'm fine, just a little warm. Charlie, not looking fully convinced, looks ahead of us again and Sheik keeps an eye on me. I do my best to sit up straight and keep my eyes focused, knowing that they'll force me to rest if they see I'm so exhausted, but it's so hard. My vision blurs every now and then and my throat starts to feel paper dry.

I'm only half aware of everything when Sheik guides Joyce to Epona's side, my mare doesn't even try to nip at the Clydesdale for being so close. I feel arms wrap around my back and lift me up under my legs and I soon find myself sitting in front of Sheik. He whispers in my ear that I should rest and I shake my head slightly. No, I want to see the Village when we get to it. But listening to Sheik's breathing and his heartbeat, I find I can't stay awake.

-The Next Day-

I wake up when I feel shade fall over me, and I open my eyes to see I'm still sitting in front of Sheik and we're just moving under some trees of a forest. The air is cool and damp, giving me a sense of familiarity as I blink and wake myself up. I yawn and sit up straighter, seeing Charlie still leading, whistling softly to himself.

"Hey, Shorty," Sheik whispers and I turn my head to look at him. "How was your sleep?"

I smile. 'Good. I guess you and Charlie were right. Sorry for that, I'm not used to the desert and I'm still a little tired from yesterday.'

"Don't say sorry," he whispers. "It's alright."

Charlie's ears twitch and he looks at us, smiling. "Oh good, you're awake. We're only a few minutes away from the Village, but we'll have to make the rest of the way on foot, horses can't get through the tree roots and vines."

We nod and dismount Joyce. I pat Epona's neck, silently thanking her for making rest, and we head into the bushes, Charlie by our side. "Alright, there are a few things I've got to say first. The Hylia Village isn't really even a village, it's a big community and can only be seen by Hylians, Half-Hylians, and people who have our trust. They may not let Sheik in, so we'll have to be careful. They're so out of the way that it takes a long time for them to get news when Hyrule Castle already knows about it," he explains as we start to go up a steep, treeless hill. Charlie's grin widens with every step and I subconsciously grip Sheik's hand, worried about what I might see, but excited at the same time. Sheik squeezes my hand in assurance as we near the top of the hill, my legs are burning from the steepness, but I ignore them as my eyes are set on the top, and waiting for what lies behind it. Charlie doesn't even have to say anything for me to know that the Hylia Village is just beyond this hill.

We reach the top, and I find myself near tears. A huge, massive city stands before us, fortified walls built near a kilometer high, stretches for about six kilometers, and is made out of strong oak wood, turrets are lined on the walls and I see bowmen patrolling the wall, clad in chain-mail and plate armour. Behind the walls, I can see the top of houses, and to my surprise I see no keep. Two large, polished-to-shine gates are the only thing standing between us and the inside of the City-Village. I see four guards standing in front of the gate, two on each side, and they spot us when we spot them. They raise their weapons in defence and two of them start their way up the hill, not even panting when they reach us at the top.

"Halt, who goes there?" one of the guards, a woman I'm surprised to see, asks, her voice strong.

"I apologize if we created a surprise. My name is Charlie, and this is my niece Link," he puts a hand on my shoulder and I just stare at the woman, almost unbelievingly, as she looks at me. "And her friend, Sheik," Sheik bows slightly, holding my hand tighter as I feel my heart rate increase. I'm so close! I look beyond the woman at the gates. I'm. So. Close. I feel like running passed the guards and just going in, but I hold myself back. I know I can't afford to mess up my chances now.

"I, too, must apologize. No Sheikah are allowed to pass through the gates, in case they are a spy sent by Osamu," the woman says, raising her sword to Sheik, but I snap out of my daze and step in front of him, arms spread to protect him. The woman and man raise their eyebrows at this, but I just stare each of them in the eye, daring them to make a move.

"Calm down, Link, it's alright," Charlie whispers and looks back at the guards. "I know it's the rule, but Osamu is dead and these two helped with that."

The man's head snaps up so fast I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash. "He's dead?" he whispers.

"Yes. He died a day ago. You can have full trust of us. If you didn't, Sheik here wouldn't even see the walls," Charlie says.

The guards look at each other before looking back at Charlie and nodding. "Very well," the woman says. "You may come in. But any suspicious activity and you won't be able to come back. Understood?" Sheik nods, understanding perfectly. "Good. Come along, you three," they turn and we follow the guards down the other side of the hill. I find myself gazing at the walls again in awe, my eyes stinging heavily, but I force myself to keep it in and walk on, my legs feeling weak.

"Don't worry, I'll be by your side," Sheik whispers, squeezing my hand in comfort as we pass under the gates. We come out of the shadow and my eyes widen as I gasp. Little kids are playing with dogs or small goats, grown men laugh heartedly as they walk by, thumping on each other's shoulders at something hilarious, women chat on the sidelines as their own kids play with dolls at their feet. A couple of teenaged boys are kicking a ball around near a large tree in the center and the building stand tall and proud. No carriages go by, only people.

And. Every. Single. One. Of them is a Hylian.

I only now realize I have tears falling down my cheeks and I look down, feeling my shoulders shake as I take a deep inhale of breath. I…I'm not alone.

Sheik pulls me into a gentle hug and pats down the back of my head, whispering quietly to me. "Come on, Link, let's go. We need to find an inn," he says.

He helps lead me through the crowd of people as we follow Charlie. As we walk, I try to take everything in. The smells of the spice merchant's stalls, the fresh bread, the sound of metal being hammered at a smith, children's high-pitched laughter, the sights of people hustling about and all of them with pointed ears. I notice some stare at me, but not at my ears for once. They're just looking at me curiously, probably wondering who the strangers are, and I smile at a teen girl who I notice was staring the longest. She blushes and looks away, running off with a basket of flowers in her arms.

'Uh-oh,' I think. Sheik looks at me curiously.

"What's uh-oh?" he asks.

'Hm? Oh, nothing,' I think and trot to keep up with him and Charlie.

"Okay," he says, not really believing it. He lets it go with a shrug and we make our way further through the crowd. I just wish I had seven more eyes, then I could look at everything better. I start to notice that everyone is heading off, and I see the sun starting to set and wonder how long I had rested while we came here.

We come to a place called the 'Think of a Name Yourself Inn' (best name ever), and Charlie requests two rooms from the desk lady, who nods and gives him two keys with the numbers '13' and '14' on them. "Just up the stairs and to your right. The bigger of these rooms is thirteen, so that should be good for you. Is that all for tonight?" she asks.

"Yes, thank you," Charlie bows his head and heads up the stairs. Handing Sheik the room 13 key. "Here, you two will share. Good night," he says quickly and goes into room 14 with a laugh, locking it behind him.

My ears fall. 'My uncle's mean,' I think as Sheik unlocks the door and we step through.

"I thought that was funny," the Sheikah says and I look around the room. Nothing much but two beds, a bookshelf, two windows and a lantern. "Well, I'm going to sleep. There was a lot of traveling today, not like you'd know that though," he teases, tweaking my nose.

I stick my tongue out at him and he grins as he puts his satchel on his bed. I sit on the opposite bed, my back to him, as he takes off his shirt and I try not to look. Funny how I need to try and not look, it's like I want to see him half naked.

Ew! Bad thoughts! Bad, gross thoughts! No want!

I rub my temples, trying to think of every detail of the City-Village to take the unwanted thoughts away, but I find it very hard. Dammit. I didn't get to see much of anything because I was half-awake and the other half I was too excited to take it all in. Oh well, we'll see everything tomorrow. I yawn and pick Rouge up off of my head and place him on the pillow before I lie down on the bed, curling up and snuggling my head into the pillow but being careful not to bother my cell buddy. Hopefully this one last rest will give me the energy I need for tomorrow. Man, it feels like I've fallen asleep a lot the past few days. Guess this is what using magic feels like.

I hear a chuckle and feel the covers move from under me before falling over me. I open my eyes and look over my shoulder to see Sheik going into the other bed and smile. Tomorrow is going to be great. I know it.

-The Next Morning, again-

I feel a hand shake my shoulder and scrunch up my face, not wanting to get up yet. "Link, wake up," Sheik says gently but I just ignore him in favour of burying my head into the pillow further. Sheik shakes me more firmly, but I roll away from him. I hear him sigh and his footsteps before a hand rests on my head. "Happy birthday," my ears perk up and I move my head to look at Sheik, shocked.

'Isn't my birthday tomorrow?' I ask, confused. Sheik shakes his head.

"When you slept on Joyce, you slept through the rest of the day, the night, and all of yesterday. So yeah, you're officially an adult," he says. I look down. I really slept for a long time, didn't I? "Hey, don't feel so bad, you used magic for the first time, honestly I'm surprised you didn't get sick."

The door suddenly slams open loudly and I jump up in surprise, staring at Charlie as he yells, "Rise and shine, Little Beast!" Sheik takes his hand off my head as if I burned him. "Alright, I'm going to steal her for this morning, then you can have her for the afternoon and tonight," Charlie says, picking me up and flinging me over his shoulder. I hit his back, mind yelling at him to put me down. He just laughs and I look at Sheik for help, but he just blinks, seeming dumfounded.

'Save me!' I mind-yell, but Charlie leaves the room and puts me down before dragging me down the stairs.

"I'm going to make you look like a girl today, no exceptions," he says and my ears drop. Please don't tell me I have to wear a dress. "Hopefully I remember where we're going," he chuckles and guides me out of the Inn and onto the street. I am much more aware of everything than I was yesterday and I find my neck starting to hurt from trying to look at everything at once. Everyone seems busy and excited about something, and I tug Charlie's arm to get his attention. "Oh, you're wondering why everyone's out and about. Well, the special thing about your birth is that you were born on the thousandth day the Hylians escaped the pledged Hyrule, and they celebrate that day by having a huge festival," he explains, smiling. I look around in awe, I was born on a celebration day? Cool. "That's why I'm getting you ready for tonight. When the sun sets, the festival begins. There will be silent fireworks, which will be like normal but without the explosions because these are all Hylians after all."

I know. And I love it. No one is staring at me like a freak or outcast, no one is acting like they're better than me, and no one is being rude or pushy, everyone, although getting somewhere quickly, take their time to watch out for each other. I love it here.

"I'm happy you feel safe here," Charlie says as we pass a salt merchant. "We know there's no room for hating each other here, and hide out here to stay safe from the Hyrulians, since when they first came here, our ancestors were treated poorly. It may not be like that anymore, but this place just gives a sense of security and only a few Hylians live outside the Village. Your parents lived outside so Sheik's father could visit." I tilt my head curiously. "Yes, Sheik's father knew you as a baby. So did Sheik. He was the only who you stood still for, besides your mother," I feel my cheeks heat up a bit and look away, biting my lip to keep from smiling. "You two were so cute together. I swear, if you could talk, Sheik's name would be the first thing you said!"

Somehow, I can imagine that happening. So Sheik knew me as a baby. Maybe that's why he seems familiar. How can I remember so much of when I'm a baby, but I can barely remember my past lives? It's weird and makes my brain hurt if I think about it.

Charlie finally takes me to a building and walks in, knocking on the inside of the door. "Hello? Anyone here?" he calls and a woman comes out, a measurer tape in hand and her hair tied into a tight bun.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could make a more fitting tunic for my niece here," he claps a hand on my shoulder. The woman looks me up and down, eyebrow raised.

"Niece? Why in Hyrule do you look like a boy?" she asks, taking my arm and guiding me to a stool. "Stand still, I need to measure you." I do as she says and stand, gulping lightly. I hope she doesn't make the tunic _too_ girly. "Hmm, I'll see if I have something small enough," I glare at Charlie when he snickers. He fights to keep his face straight, but is losing horribly. "Sorry, Beasty, you're the same height as Amy," he snorts. I smile at that, I have something in common with my mum!

"Alright, this is the smallest tunic I have, and the smallest pair of pants," the woman comes back, carrying a light blue tunic and tan breeches. She holds the tunic up to me and I feel my ears fall when the bottom only reaches my mid-thigh. "Go put these on, I'll hem them if I have to, but they should be fine for a new set of clothes. These ones are so ripped. What in Hyrule did you do to make them that way?" she asks as she hands me the clothes and I jump off the stool.

'Saving people,' I think, going into the back room to change.

-Sheik's POV-

I stare out the window as Rouge sits on my shoulder, sleeping. Guess Link's cell buddy has taken a shine to me. I shake my head and watch the people walk by, going about their day as the air buzzes with activity. Something big must be happening today if these people are so excited. How lucky that it's Link's birthday. I hum to myself, resting my head on my fist. I'm trying to come up with a way to make tonight special for Link, but I can't come up with anything. I don't know much about this place, so I can't show her around and explain things to her, and I'm not sure what kind of thing the Hylians are celebrating.

I smile softly to myself. I saw the look in Link's eyes yesterday when we came through the gates. I saw the relief, hope and happiness shine brightly in her eyes. She finally belongs somewhere and I couldn't be happier for her. After all she's been through, she deserves to know about the place she was born in.

It's hard to believe that I actually knew her as a baby. But is it true that I'm her Guardian? Do we really have a Connection, or is it just coincidence that we can hear each other's thoughts? On the other hand, I _do_ care deeply for her. I do love her. But…does she love me back? I find I'm asking myself this more often now that I've accepted my feelings.

Sighing, I look outside again, seeing that it's almost noon. I blink, I spent the _entire_ morning thinking of just Link. Man am I losing it. I hope this doesn't interfere with fighting.

'Charlie! Put me down already!' I jump when I hear Link and look at the door as Rouge scrambles off of me in surprise. 'I have legs, y'know!' she's not even trying to block her mind.

I hear whistling and the door bursts open, letting me see Charlie walk in with Link thrown over his shoulder like when they left. Charlie places Link down and she stumbles a bit before turning to him with a hard glare. 'I might not like crowds, but I can walk, Charlie!' she mind-yells, but I barely pay attention. I'm surprised at what she's wearing.

She has a light blue tunic that falls just at her legs and seems to shape her better. Unlike her usual tunic, this one doesn't just fall around her; it lets me see just how tiny and scrawny she is. But I can also see she does have muscle and a slight, slight curve. The breeches she's wearing reach to the middle of her calf and are a light tannish-brown. She looks like an unmistakable girl. Cute.

I realize I'm staring and look away as my cheeks heat up, but I force the blush back and look at the two in time to see Link turn around. The first thing I notice is that her eyes are shining a brighter blue than before, probably because of the tunic, and her unruly hair is held back by a black band tied around her forehead, letting me see her face better and making her look more grown-up. She notices I'm staring again and looks down, her face slowly turning red. 'Is it really that bad?' she asks, her voice small.

I shake my head slowly, dumfounded by how different she looks. 'No, you look amazing,' I think, blinking. She blushes deeper and Charlie clears his throat.

"Well, I'll leave you two to your fun. Remember where everything is, Link, because I'm going to have some fun of my own," Charlie winks with a wolfish grin and walks out, leaving us alone in an awkward silence.

Link glances at me and smiles lightly, tugging the bottom of her tunic. 'How do I look, anyway?' she asks.

"Like a cute girl," I say, smiling. She rubs the back of her head, her face going beetroot. I walk over to her and tap her head, making her look up. "Come on, let's go look around."

'You should probably take off your shawl, you don't want to attract attention with your suit either,' she thinks and I look down. True, my eyes are enough to throw people off around here.

"Alright, wait her for a minute," I say and go to change.

-Link's POV-

I don't get why Sheik was staring at me, I mean, I'm not dressed much differently. I'm only wearing a smaller tunic and pants. It's not like I'm in a dress. Thank Nayru. Oh well, it honestly doesn't bother me much.

"So, where do you want to go first?" Sheik asks, looking around. I shrug and look down the street to see a crowd forming.

'Let's go see what's over there,' I think and we head over to see a man preforming some magic tricks.

"Alright, for my next trick, I will need to assistance from the audience," his eyes scan the crowed and I half-hide behind Sheik, not wanting to be picked. His eyes fall on us and I mentally scream at my bad luck when he smiles. "Young lad with the red eyes, would you mind stepping up?" I blink and look at Sheik as he shrugs and nods, stepping through the crowd to stand beside the man. This might actually be interesting. I squeeze passed some people, smiling in apology, to get a better view.

I laugh at Sheik as we walk away from the crowd. The man's trick, which was supposed to turn Sheik into a rabbit, failed horribly and now he has rabbit ears and whiskers. The man promised it would ware off after an hour or so, but I still can't stop laughing and soon my gut is hurting. Sheik glares, not amused at all. "Ha ha, very funny. Do you want to turn into a wolf?" he asks, growling. I bite my lip, trying to keep from smiling, but it doesn't help much.

'Sorry, sorry. It's just…so funny!' I grin, trying to stifle my laughter. He sighs and pulls my hat, which I had stashed in my Never-Ending Bag, over his head more. 'C'mon, Sheik, you gotta admit that that was funny,' I poke his side and he swats me away.

"I'll admit it when you admit being Shorty was funny," I smile wolfishly.

'Alright, being Shorty was actually hilarious,' I say truthfully. Now that I've been able to hindsight it, I realize just how funny it must have been to see me like that, and put into those stupid saddlebags. 'Now you have to admit it's funny!' I laugh.

"You little devil," he breaks into a smile and pulls me into him, tickling me with his new whiskers. I laugh as I try to pry his arms away from me, but he lifts me up and swings me around, careful not to hit anybody.

'Stop it! I give! I give!' I mind-yell, trying to struggle free.

Sheik lets me go and we keep laughing as we walk down the street, not caring about the stares we receive. I notice a merchant stall with armour and grab Sheik's hand, dragging him over. I look at some plate-mail armour that glows a faint blue/green, it looks a lot sturdier than my current armour, but plate armour is always too heavy for me, so I'm forced to wear chain-mail, which, while good, doesn't hold back a lot of the damage.

"I see you've noticed my enchanted armour," the merchant speaks up, making me jump and look up to see him smiling. "All my armour and weapons here are enchanted by me professionally. The enchantments I grant make the armour light and able to withstand a lot of damage, but if they get too hot, they will melt and the enchantment will fade, making the go back to their old weight," my ears perk up. This can help so much! If I can get this armour, I might be able to fighting better. "Are you interested in trying some on?" he asks.

I nod and the man turns, picking up a smaller but identical chest plate to the one on the counter. "Just try this on over your tunic," he hands it to me and Sheik helps me up it on. I fix the bottom a bit and smile. Wow, it doesn't even feel like I'm wearing it! I try on the rest of the armour and my smile widens. This will be great for later battles! "Are you buying it?" I nod, taking out my Rupee Bag. "That'll be two hundred Rupees." I summon four purple Rupees when I hear the man speak. "Thank you, young man," I look up to see Sheik putting away his own Rupee Bag, smirking at me.

'Call it a birthday gift,' he thinks and helps me out of the armour. I smile slightly and store the armour in my Baggie, waving to the man as we go.

'You didn't have to buy it, I had the money,' I look at Sheik.

"Link, it's your birthday, shut up and be happy," he says jokingly, ruffling my hair, making me huff.

'I'm eighteen and you're still doing this?'

"Yes," he nods. I roll my eyes and we keep wandering through the City-Village. I'll just call it the Cillage.

My thoughts are rudely interrupted by my stomach growling, and Sheik laughs. 'What're you laughing at, Bunny Boy?' I tease and he quickly stops, gaining a mischievous grin. I grin sheepishly before running, hearing him coming after me. 'No bunny, no bunny!' I mind-yell, laughing as I weave in and out of people. Thank you small size! I turn into a small alley and hide behind a barrel, holding my hands over my mouth to keep from laughing. I peek around the barrel to see Sheik run by and snort, hiding behind it again.

"You think it would be that easy?" I jump violently and look up to see Sheik hanging upside-down from an empty clothesline with his arms crossed nonchalantly. "Hey, how's it going?" he jumps down and lands cat-like on his feet, crouching.

'For a bunny, you have good balance,' I think, awed.

He snorts. "I just have rabbit ears right now. That doesn't affect my balance," he says.

'Wow,' is all I can think. 'Can you do another Sheikah trick?' I ask, sitting up straighter.

He raises an eyebrow. "You want me to show you things like this?" I nod quickly. "Well alright, but we'll have to do it where it's less crowded," he says, taking my hand and helping me up. I smile widely and we walk out of the alley, no one really noticing us.

We come across a small plaza where there are only a few people wandering around, and I sit on the edge of a fountain, my boots off and my feet in the water, as Sheik jumps onto the top of the Triforce Symbol that looks identical to Hyrule Castle Town's center piece. He leaps up into the air towards the sky, which is clear despite us being surrounded by trees. I raise my hands over my eyes to see him flip and spin in the air, almost as if he's flying. He lands on the tip of the Triforce Symbol with his right hand, his left out to the side to keep him balanced. He bends his arm and propels himself off of it, summersaulting backwards in the air while somehow coming forwards. He goes over my head and I spin around to see him land gracefully on his feet, hands in his pockets as he turns to face me. His hair is blowing in his face as he smiles, a little breathless from the act, and his crimson red eyes smile as he bows from his waste.

I stand up and clap enthusiastically, grinning. 'Wow! That was awesome!' I think, grabbing my boots and running up to him. 'How'd you do that?'

He shrugs, hands still in pockets. "Years of practice. That's nothing compared to some of the other 'tricks' I know," he says.

'Wow, it must have been hard,' I pull on my boots, hopping on one foot.

"It was, but the thrill I get from doing those now is great," he says when I stumble over just as I finish getting my other boot on. Sheik catches me and I blush lightly when his bunny ears fall and tickle my nose. He helps me stand and I take a small twig out of his hair, just below where his ears are. "What was it?"

I hold it up. 'You had a twig in your hair. Y'know, you're ears are really soft,' I think absentmindedly, flicking the twig away. 'It's cute,' I grin, closing my eyes for a second before opening them and seeing Sheik looking away, his cheeks pink.

"You called me cute," he mutters.

'Yep! You call me cute all the time. But I think you're cuter without the ears.'

"Why do you say that?" he asks, looking back at me.

'Because I like the way you are naturally,' I intertwine my hands behind my back, looking down as I kick my foot on the ground a bit. 'You look cute with the ears, but it's your natural self that I like the most.'

I look at him through my bangs, which are falling out of the band on my forehead. Sheik's face is red, which makes me blush a bit, and that blush deepens when he takes my headband off and brushes out my hair. "You look better naturally too. So keep that hairband off, it doesn't suit you," he murmurs.

'Okay,' I think quietly, my stomach becoming filled with butterflies as he tosses the hairband away. Then my stomach growls again, and I remember where we were heading before I ran into the alley.

"Come on, we should get something to eat. It will be night soon, and Charlie said that's when the real festival begins," Sheik says, taking my hand and leading me out of the plaza and into the crowd, being careful not to let go of me. I feel my face heat up as I stare at my hand in his, and I glance up at Sheik, smiling slightly. He makes me feel so safe. I think I…actually like someone looking out for me.

As we eat, we just 'talk' about what we plan to do when night falls and during this time, Sheik's ears turn back to normal and he loses his whiskers. 'Sheik, would you mind if we went to the graveyard after we eat?' I ask.

"Of course, Link. We'll try to find it before it gets dark," he says, smiling softly and pulling me into a one-armed hug. "We'll go get some flowers on the way, too."

I smile back, nervous about what I'll see.

"Did Charlie tell you where the graveyard is?" Sheik asks as I hold a bunch of white and red roses in my hands.

'Yep, he told me it was just a little away from the plaza we were in earlier. Sheik, would you also not mind if I…see it alone?' I look up through my bangs, afraid of what he might say. He smiles softly again and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Sure. I'll be standing outside of the graveyard if anything goes wrong. Just take your time Link, we're in no rush."

'Thanks.'

The graveyard is like any other, tombstones litter the grassy hills and fences keep people from stepping on them. I stand in the crossroad of a small dirt path, looking around and trying to find where _they're_ buried. I turn my head over my shoulder to see Sheik standing at the entrance. He gives me an encouraging nod and I smile weakly as I turn back to the beaten down path, walking forward and trusting my gut.

My gut feeling takes me through the rows of gravestones and passed many fallen Hylians. I walk by the odd Poe, but don't pay them any heed, so they just leave me alone as they feed off of the darkened air of the graveyard. Despite the biting cold of the setting sun, I feel calm and relaxed as the moon rises slowly. I can't see it very well because of the trees surrounding the Cillage, but I see the soft, silvery glow break through the branches and vines.

My gut feeling vanishes as I come to two tombstones, side-by-side and decorated in some flowers. I feel tears burn my eyes as I read the names. _Joshua and Amethyst: Beautiful Soul Mates, fantastic friends, and loving parents_. I ignore the 'Soul Mates' part and bend down onto my knees, gently placing the flowers in-between their tombstones. I sit back on my calves and gulping down the lump in my throat, my vision getting blurry from crying. I wish I could have seen their faces, I wish I could remember more about them, but I'm scared that if I find out, that I'll never be able to let go. I wish I had grown up with them, but I wouldn't be who I am if that had happened. I wouldn't be friends with Ilia, I wouldn't know Rusl, Uli or Colin as well as I do, I might not have even met Midna or Zelda.

Or the same Sheik I know.

If anything had gone differently, if dad had survived, if mum had gotten out, if Charlie had found me, I wouldn't be Link. I would just be another person with that name.

'I'm sorry. I miss you. A lot. I really do, but…I like my life the way it is. I wish I could see you, but I know what reality is. I hope you've rested peacefully, I hope you've been able to see me grow and become who I am, I hope you're proud of me, despite being mute and having a hard time reading. Zelly, one of my best friends and current Princess of Hyrule, is helping me read more, and even though I don't find reading books my favorite pastime, I can read faster and better than I could in Ordon. Midna, another close friend and the Twilight Princess, also helped, but she practically forced me to by shoving a book in my face once. I was healing after saving the Goron Patriarch and she made me read the book cover-to-cover,' I laugh a bit at the memory. 'I cheated and read only five pages of each chapter. She still doesn't know. And she calls herself observant. She was actually the first person I could talk to through mind, and she helped me build my mental walls throughout our quest to save Hyrule. I thought that adventuring was over, but apparently not just yet. I'm almost done my new quest, and I've met and seen so many people and places. I even got to see Old Hyrule! Although it's overthrown by demons now, I can tell it used to be a wonderful place when peaceful. And I've met the nicest guy I could possibly ever be with. His name's Sheik, and I think you know him. Charlie-yep, my uncle! He found me!-said that you knew Sheik's dad, and he met me a few times. He's really great, and he doesn't treat me like a burden or outcast, like most Hyrulians do. And whenever I'm holding his hand or my face is close to his, my face heats up and my stomach gets butterflies in it. Is that normal? I really don't know. Mum, dad, I miss you. And I _know_ I love you. I hope you didn't have too much pain before passing on, and I really hope Din, Nayru and Farore are being nice. I've only met Farore once, but hearing Lune go on and on about Din losing her head, I have a feeling she's a little short-tempered. Don't tell her I thought that, I don't want the Goddess of Power to blow up my bombs in my sleep,' I wipe my eyes on my sleeve, pushing my hands on my thighs to get up. 'Bye mum, bye dad. I'll try to visit once this mess is over. May the Goddesses bless you with eternal happiness in the Realm.'

And with that, I bow to my parents' graves and turn slowly, my knees unsteady and feeling like stone. I bump into someone and look up slowly, gasping when I see onyx black eyes and snow-white hair. Oh no, not him. Not now!

Ghirahim smirks, walking towards me as I step away from him, shivering. "Hello. Did you miss me?" he asks. "I know I missed you."

I gulp and go for my sword, only to remember I left it at the Inn, along with most of my weapons. I only have my bombs and bow right now, and I don't dare use my bombs here, and using my bow will take too long. With no other option, I stand my ground and put up my fists, ready to fight the demon if need be. "Tut tut tut, put those hands down. I'm not here to fight you, but to ask you something," he waves his hand and roots come out of the ground, circling around my ankles and holding me firm to the spot. Well crap. "I am aware that my partner, Majora, gave you the same choice, but perhaps you've reconsidered. My army is large in numbers and well-trained, girl, they can fight a dozen Orcs and lose no warriors. Their magic is beyond the normal standings of Hyrulians, and quite possibly even a Hylian Mage, and they have dealt with Harpies every day for the past month. They are trained hard and are scarred from their battles, but they are ready to fight at a moment's notice. It would be foolish to try and fight against them, and I would not like losing such a promising young swordswoman," he brushes his hand down the back of my head and I shiver, slapping his arm away from me. He grabs my wrist and holds it firmly, bringing his face close to mine. "So, not wanting to let a young fighter like you go, I want you to come and join me. You will rise above all ranks, and stand beside me as a demon. As _my_ demon."

I don't like where this is going. At all. I have a feeling, a horrible, horrible feeling, that he doesn't just want me for his army ranks.

"You catch on quick, love," he grins as my eyes go wide. Oh Sweet Nayru, please don't- "Yes, I want you beyond just you're skills. I want you to become my Demon Lady. The process is quite painless, and will only take a week for you to recover, but it really is worth living for a longer amount of time. What do you say?"

'Get you're filthy hands off of me!' I mind-yell, head-butting him as hard as I can, which makes my head hurt a little. 'There's no way in Din's Fiery HELL that I'll join you! There's a more likely chance of me giving up on _meat_ than there is of me becoming you're Demon Lady! Which is zero to none, you _stupid_ ares!' I punch him in the nose and rip my feet out of the roots as he recovers. I'm proud to see his nose is bloody. '_That's_ for punching me in the Crypts,' I think, starting to run when I feel a whip wrap around me, pinning my arms to my side as I try to struggle. Ghirahim pulls me back harshly and I drag along the ground on my back, coming up to him for him to kick me in the head, making my ears ring.

"_Wrong_ answer, girl," he snarls, getting ready to kick when he's suddenly thrown back by something. I struggle to sit up, but my head is pounding too much and I just lie here when I feel hands untie me and help me up. I rub my pounding head and look up to see two misty figures crouching in front of me, a soft, caring smile on their faces.

'We miss you, too,' the first voice is soft, almost like bells, and my ears twitch slightly.

'And we're _always_ proud of you,' this voice is deeper, very calm and soothing.

Then together, the two voices speak. 'We love you,' they say, and the two misty figures disappear. I blink in shock for a few moments, a slow smile growing on my face.

'Thank you…mum and dad,' I think, standing up with a little more strength than before. I look over to where Ghirahim is, but find the Demon Lord gone. Senses on high alert, I head back to the entrance of the graveyard, wanting to tell Sheik what happened. I'm just about to turn the corner when Ghirahim appears, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me into the wall behind me.

"You're going to become my Lady, and you're going to have no say in the matter," he growls, his eyes becoming wild, when a rock bounces off his head. We turn our heads and I beam when I see Sheik standing there, narrowing his eyes as he spreads his feet into a fighting stance.

"Get your hands off my girl," he cracks his knuckles and makes fire appear around his hands. His hair whips in a strong gust of wind that passes and the fire glows in his eyes. My smile fades when Ghirahim waves his hand over my face and drops me. My limbs become heavy and my mind gets sluggish, as if I'm going to sleep. I refuse the urge to close my eyes and look up to see Sheik and Ghirahim fighting, Sheik with fire and Ghirahim with sparks coming off of his sword. I need to help, Sheik doesn't know what Ghirahim is capable of.

Somehow, my mind pushes the sluggish feeling away and I stand slowly, careful not to rise too fast and get dizzy. I put a hand on the wall and feel my throat rumble in a growl. Jeez, what a nice birthday gift, a stalker demon trying to make me his Lady. And I thought today was going to be easy and peaceful.

Ghirahim strikes Sheik, causing him to cry out in pain as electricity runs through him. The cut he received from the sword isn't that bad, and can easily be healed by a bit of red potion, but he falls due to the charge, and I see his hair and clothes smoking.

I snarl and raise my hand to the back of my neck, hitting it before I can think. The quick, now painless sensation of becoming smaller takes over and when I shake it off, I look down to see I'm a wolf. A grown, ready-to-fight wolf. I feel myself grin as I look up. Ghirahim won't know what hit him.

I run at him and bite his calf, making him turn to me and smack me in the face with the butt of his sword. I recoil back by leaping at him and landing on top of him, biting down on his shoulder. He grits his teeth, jeez he can hold a lot of pain, and grabs a dagger, also drabbing my ruff to keep me from getting away. He goes to stab my side, but the dagger gets kicked away by Sheik and he goes to kick the Demon Lord in the face, when he disappears from under me and his voice rings through the air.

"You are so annoying. And mark my words, Sheikah, this isn't the last of our little battle," Ghirahim's voice echoes off into nothing as I pant, looking up at Sheik and seeing the cut on his side.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he says, bending down and patting my head. "Come on, we should get cleaned up. It's night now." And so it is. The real festival should have started by now. Sheik helps me turn back to human and we manage to walk out of the graveyard without any help, and on the way, I tell Sheik what happened.

"So you think those two misty figures were your parents?" he asks as we change clothes, backs facing each other.

'It had to be. Who else would look after me like that?' I think, pulling on a silver shirt Charlie left on the bed for me. It's small enough to fit me like a glove but big enough to not be tight. Same with the pants I'm now wearing. 'Thanks for helping me, Sheik. And I thought my birthday would be without a fight,' I roll my eyes.

"Well, I've got to say, life with you is never boring," Sheik says, his voice light with humour. "Are you dressed?"

'Yep. You?'

"Yes. Alright, we both turn around on three, okay?"

''Kay.'

'One…two…three,' we think together and turn. My eyes widen when I see what Sheik is wearing. He has a black tunic on and his hair is tied back in a ponytail with a few strands falling out and framing his face and letting me see his eyes better. He stares back at me, and after a few moments of silence, we break out into smiles.

"You look good in that," he says, coming over.

'Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself,' I smile, hugging him gently.

"Come on, we should go. We don't want to miss all the fun," Sheik says and we head out. I hold onto Sheik's arm as we go through the crowded street, colourful lamps are lit everywhere, making it easy to see, and music plays as people in the streets dance along and laugh. I see a few men already getting drunk and their wives are standing a few feet away, shaking their heads as their children run around with their friends. I spot Charlie coming out of a bar, an arm around another man's shoulders as the both of them sing and cheer with the crowd, toasting their drinks.

'It's so lively!' I think, smiling to a little kid as I kick a ball back to him. 'Are all festivals outside of Ordon like this?'

"Yeah, mostly. Are Ordonian festivals very calm and quite?"

'Yep, we usually just have some food and chat a bit. I like that, but I _really_ like this!' I smile.

"I'm glad. After everything, I think you can stand to have a fun time."

'You make that possible,' I think when I get distracted by the plaza, where people are slow dancing. How they dance without breaking each other's feet is beyond me.

"Hey, Link, how about I show you how to _properly_ slow dance?" Sheik asks, smiling down at me as I snap my head up and shake my head. "Come on, it's not that hard. We'll take it nice and easy, since Edward isn't here to sneak up on you," he jokes, bringing me into the crowd of people. He puts my right hand on his shoulder and takes my other hand in his as he holds my side. "Alright, now just follow my lead. That's right, nice and easy. Forget about how those guys are going a bit faster, we'll go our own pace," he whispers, stepping forwards as I follow, looking down at my feet. "Hey, look up at me," I look up and find myself falling into his eyes. "If you look at your feet, you're going to mess up more than if you weren't looking. Just keep your face on mine and trust me." The moment he says 'trust me' I start to relax, just looking at his face and not thinking about my feet. I do step on his feet a little, but he just shrugs it off, saying that he doesn't care.

Another song, even slower this time, starts to be played by the band and I stare up at Sheik, slowly losing myself. His eyes pull me in and my heart flutters as I look into his warm, fiery eyes.

-Sheik's POV-

I stare into Link's eyes, falling into their depths. With the silver shirt and lights, her eyes look more purple than blue, and I find my heart beating faster. Her eyes look so calm and docile, and they give me shivers that run down my spine. But they aren't cold or terrified shivers, their more like shivers of joy or something similar. I blink a bit when she steps on my foot, but I ignore it in favour of her perfect eyes. Her beautiful, beast-like eyes. My own eyes linger off of hers and to her entire face. I brush a strand of her hair behind her ear and she blushes a bit, but otherwise she smiles and keeps looking at me. With her hair out of her face, she looks so grown up and mature, but I think I _much_ prefer her usual cute and childish face. It just fits her so well. If that demon wants her, he'll have to go through me ten times over.

I pull Link into me gently, and she lets me. I rest my face in her hair, taking in her musky, sweet sent. How someone can smell like barn animals and fresh rain at the same time is beyond me, but Link, my amazing, beautiful Link, manages to do it. I hug her to me, and she hugs me back as I slowly rock her, losing time and sense.

Sadly, after such a short time, the music stops and becomes more upbeat, much too fast for any type of slow dance. We part from the hug, but I keep my arm around her as we walk away. She hides a yawn with her hand and I smile softly as I look up, seeing the stars. I get an idea and grin as I guide her away from the crowds. I lead her to a building and I look back at her to see her yawning again, her eyes faded a bit from being tired. Just a little longer, Link. I want to show you something.

I help her onto the roof of a tall building and find we're able to see almost all of Hylia Village as we lie down. She's lying in my side and her head rests on my shoulder as I point out the constellations and explain how to navigate by the stars. Despite being so tired, she listens closely and yawns again, letting out her breath as a sigh as she turns into me and keeps her head turned to look at the sky. I see the stars reflect in her eyes and find I'm staring at her face again, but I can't help it. My heart beats faster as I lean forward to kiss her cheek, but she turns her head slightly to me and I catch her on the side of the mouth, making both of our eyes widen like saucers and our faces turn such a deep shade of red I feel like I'm on fire. I pull away and we turn our heads to not look at each other, but slowly I look back at Link and she looks back at me, tilting her head cutely.

We just stare at each other as our faces stay heated, before I touch my forehead to hers, making it so our noses touch. We close our eyes for a few moments before opening them to look at each other, and I see her eyes shining with glee. She may not know it, but I know for _certain_ Link loves me.

My heart rises at the thought. Link _loves_ me. I try to tell her how I feel, but my throat tightens up and my mind becomes blank of words, as if something is stopping me. Then I realize it's _me_ who's stopping myself. Yes, I love her, and I know she loves me, even if she has no clue, but I can't tell her. Even after I said to myself I would, I can't bring myself to do it. I can't afford for her to get distracted on her thoughts, not when we're so close to finding the last Sage, not when we're on the brink of a possible war. Link, I love you, and I wish I can tell you how I feel right this moment, but you have too much going on in your life right now. I hope on day, and one day soon, that this will all be over and I can tell you the truth, but I don't want to risk your life like this.

Taking a deep breath, I let out a sigh and just go with smiling at Link, hugging her to me as she closes her eyes, her breath becoming even and relaxed. "Sleep tight, my love, I'll watch over you," I say in a breath to her, hissing the top of her head gently.

'I know,' her thought makes my eyes widen. Did she…hear me? I look down at her, hoping she didn't hear the 'my love' part.

-Link's POV-

I open my eyes slowly, expecting to see Sheik, but I sit up fast and frown when I find I'm in clouds, and I feel lighter than air. "So you've come to," I jump at the sudden voice and look over my shoulder to see a boy with ocean blue eyes and golden-brown/blonde hair. Didn't I see this guy in one of my dreams? "Good. I don't have much time to talk," the man says, coming over as I stand. "Can you guess who I am?" I look him over and get an idea.

'One of my past selves?' I guess, he nods, smiling grimly.

"Indeed. How you can say that so casually is beyond me," he sighs, rubbing his forehead. I tilt my head, why is he upset? "You may not know this, but I'm the first Link, the original Link," my eyes widen and I look him over again.

'Really? You're the first?' I ask, walking up to him.

"Yes, and so far, you've been the only one of my reincarnations to see pieces of my life the most. And you've dreamt of the Imprisoned."

'Imprisoned?'

"I believe you call him Turkey," he says. "That is the beast form of Demise, the Demon King and the one who cursed me, my friend, and many others to be incarnated into future people and be destined to play a role. That's why I brought you here, because I know Ghirahim is back."

'You know him?'

He nods. "I encountered him many times when I was looking for my friend. He was the one who started it all for wanting to revive Demise. I don't know why he's trying again, Demise practically killed him and used him as a sword. But perhaps he has other motives this time around, although I doubt it," he explains. "But be careful around him, he's very manipulative and sneaky, and he may not want to just fight you."

'Trust me, I know that already,' I shiver a little. 'He just tried making me his 'Demon Lady' today.'

My first incarnation winces a bit at that. "Well then, be extra careful," he smiles an apology. "I really am sorry."

'For what?'

"For not stopping Demise when he was casting that curse. I was confused about what he was doing and didn't take it seriously, thinking he was bluffing. But apparently not. Now every one of my incarnations will be cursed a life similar to mine. Without parents, forced to take a path not all are willing to go down, unable to do anything to change what their 'destined' to do. And all of you have a disability of some sort."

'We do?' I tilt my head.

"Yes, Demise must have thought it would help his reincarnations win Hyrule. For example, you're mute, the Hero of Time couldn't read at all, even if he tried, the Minish Hero had short-term memory loss, and the Four Sword Links were half-blind. I myself don't have any disability of any kind, but it pains me even more to watch you guys go through so many struggles just to live normally, and then you're thrust with the task to save Hyrule or any other world in peril."

I frown a bit, before picking up on something he said. 'Watch? You watch us?'

He nods. "I watch you guys, trying to help you as much as I can and giving some of my memories to help along the way. That's why you guys get any memories of your past lives at all, I helped Min along by reminding him of his task, Time was able to get along quite well without being able to read anyway, and Green, Blue, Red and Vio, despite arguing all the time, were able to help each other. That was quite funny to watch," he grins a bit at the memory. "And with you, I've givin you a bit of a mind-barrier that was built stronger by you and that Twili."

I look down. So that's how I get small snippets of my past lives. 'Does that mean that my past lives help our other selves as well?'

"Yes, we all help out in any way we can. Min helped by making it so you could remember Vaati and Shadow's names and have a basic understanding of being so tiny. That's why you are used to becoming so small in the first place. Time's helping you in the obvious way by being a Sage and all. Four Swords have also made it so you'll know what exactly Shadow has up his sleeve when the time comes. We all help each other, because we're the only ones who know what we're going through. We're basically family," he says.

'So, if Hero of Time is called Time, and Minish is called Min, what would you be?'

"Call me Sky. You'd be Twilight," he grins and I shrug, I can live with that. "It just makes it easier to tell us apart."

I feel a tug in my chest and I blink, looking down in confusion. "Yeah, thought that would happen soon. That wasn't too long, but at least you have a better understanding of everything, not just Ghirahim. I should get going," he turns when I think of something.

'Wait! If you're watching me, then can you tell me why my heart flutters around Sheik sometimes?' I ask.

He looks over his shoulder, grinning widely. "Oh, I can't tell you that. But what I can tell you is that I'm the one who helped you there. You won't see me again, but know that we all have your back," and with that, everything vanishes and my eyes close and I frown, confused.

What couldn't he tell me? Is it something I need to find out about myself? And why did he tell this all to me now? Why not before when I first met Ghirahim? Maybe it's better to not think about it, I have a feeling that if I think too far into it, I'll just end up with a headache. Like usual.

Gery: Bucking finally! So sorry for the late update guys, it's gotten really busy this month with me starting the new semester and getting ready for the Music Festival, which I'm going preforming three things for, so it's been a little tricky getting this out. And not to mention my laptop is starting to fritz up a little. If that hadn't happened, I probably would have gotten this out yesterday. Oh well, hope you liked it ^_^! Oh, and Zelda's Spirit? Yeah, I'm not even kidding when I say I thought of her meeting Skyward Sword Link two days before you mentioned it. Great minds think alike! Oh wait…run while you can! You don't want my messed up mind! Trust me. Anyway guys, really hope you've had fun with this chapter, 'cause I know I had fun writing it, even if it did take close to a full month. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster, but I can't make any promises. See ya!


	25. Chapter 21

To Eternal780: Thank you. Good, that's how I wanted it. Oh, Sheik knew, but Link doesn't, because she's oblivious like that ;) Yep, somebody had to. I liked that too. Yay emotion! Yes, yes I did. I was thinking of that a week ago :) Well, Demise wouldn't want his incarnations to fail like he did, so yeah. Of course, like Sky said, they're the only ones who know what the current Link is going through, so they need to stick out for each other.

To alemery: Well, Link was probably more concerned about Ghirahim trying to make her his Demon Lady, so yeah, she didn't really notice that :)

To drebom: Wow, and thank you ^_^ I didn't know I did that good a job with them, thanks. Yes she does, but so does every other Link, which is why they're not alone.

To Guest: About time, right? Thanks. Yes they are, now let the awkward moments commence! Oh, it will be ;) Yeah, sort of, it still would have been that long if I had gotten it out earlier, so it's nice that is was a long chapter. Yep, I thought she deserved it. Thank you! Surprise! Just don't fall off the edge. Oh I will, I intend to finish this, and I will be writing other things after this :)

To Lady Fai: Yay! And he's Alex's brother, he's the one who's afraid of spiders.

To Mihang: Yeah, I like it too, thanks. *Magically transports you there* Have fun :) No worries. I did too, I thought she had to learn why she knows things she really shouldn't be able to know, what better way than from Sky? Sure, if you want to. I am too, and I think I know exactly when she'll realize what she's feeling *roughish grin* Thanks. (Pft, I won't take six months! That would be just _lazy_ on my part) LOVE YOU TOO.

To alfred pierce: Yep, their part isn't done yet. I brought them in for a reason and I already have plans for them. Thanks. *Laughs* No kidding.

To nakku: Glad you liked it :) I am to, actually. I didn't intend for him to come along, but I thought it would be interesting. Everything will be explained, Ghirahim's just being blunt right now.

To WuNsChKiNd89: I know, I'm sorry :(

Gery: Too tired to think of anything for this thingy, so I'll just say it. I don't own Zelda, I only own the plot and _some_ OCs. You'll understand by the end of this. Thanks Mihang! You really helped a lot! :) Enjoy!

Chapter 21: Search for the Final Sage Part 1

I slowly open my eyes, feeling a breeze blow my hair into my face. The first thing I think is that I met the first Link, and I learned that all the previous heroes look out for each other. I'm filled with glee at the thought of helping whoever's next after I pass away. I stifle a laugh, thinking of the names of my past selves. They're all named after their titles, I assume anyway. There's Sky, Min, Green, Blue, Red, Vio and Time. Cool.

I frown suddenly in thought. Sky said that he was helping me with the strange feelings I have, but how? And what are they? Why couldn't he tell me what I feel?

I shake my head. That doesn't matter. What does matter right now is that Turkey-er- the Imprisoned is a Demon King named Demise and Ghirahim is very dangerous. I'll need to look out for the Demon Lord, he might try manipulating me into marrying him. I shiver. I don't want to marry him. I won't. He can try whatever he wants, he won't get me to marry him.

"Link, you okay?" I look up to see Sheik, frowning tiredly. "You look like something's troubling you."

'Sheik…last night in the graveyard, when Ghirahim was talking to me, he…he offered me a deal. If I were to join him, he would make me at the top of his ranks. But not his fighting ranks,' I gulp down the lump in my throat. 'He wants me to be…his Demon Lady.'

Sheik's eyes harden at that. "He what?"

'He wants me to be his,' I feel my eyes sting and hug Sheik tightly. 'I don't want to be his! I could never abandon my friends and only family I have! I could never abandon Ilia or Zelly or Midna. And I would hate myself if I abandoned you. It would hurt more than dying.'

His hugs me gently, rubbing circles on my back. "I know you would never abandon your friends," he lifts my face. "You shouldn't have to worry."

'But-but Sky told me that Ghirahim's really manipulative. What if he uses magic to get to me, and I'll wake up a Demon?'

"Sky? Who's that?" he asks.

I tell him what I 'dreamed' of last night, about how I met my first incarnation, how we all have names based off our Hero Titles, how we look out for each other. I leave out what Sky said about the feelings I have. I don't know why, either.

"That's cool," he smiles, sitting up and helping me up. "So you always have help."

'Yeah.'

"Link, I'm curious about something, who exactly is Ilia? I know you've mentioned her a few times, but who is she?"

I beam, sitting up straighter. 'She's basically a sister to me. She's a year younger than me, her birthday's in the spring, but she's a lot more mature than me and acts more like an older sister than a younger. We've always played together when we were little, and she could understand what I was trying to say about ninety percent of the time. She even invented games that we didn't have to use our voices to play. In exchange for all she's done, I've protected her from getting hurt and I would even risk my own safety to save her,' I think. 'I haven't seen her lately because of the whole 'look for the Sages' thing, but I think she's at Ordon. Neither of us likes Castle Town, but I have to live with it because I'm Zelly's knight and I've been helping her get through the last few months.'

He nods and looks around, sighing. "Let's get back to the Inn, Charlie might be worried."

'Yeah, I just hope he doesn't smother me in a hug,' I think and we head back to the Inn, seeing the Cillage nice and calm after the festival. I've really enjoyed coming here, and I'll never forget this place.

"There you are," Charlie says as we come to our room. "I was about to come looking for you. I just got a messenger bird from Zelda, she wants you two to get back to the castle. Sounds like she has a lead of who the last Sage is," he smiles, holding up a note. "Go pack up, we should leave before it gets busy. And it will take us a few days to get to the castle. I sent the bird back telling her when she can expect us, so we need to hurry. Oh, and Link, she sent this to you," he hands me a paper-wrapped package. "It seems your friends decided to give you a present of their own."

I flush, they didn't have to do that. How'd they find out anyway? I suspect Ilia. Sheik leaves to pick up some supplies and Charlie leaves to pack his things, so I have time to open the package alone. I read the card and smile to myself. _'Happy birthday, Link! You didn't think I would forget, did you? Zelda told me that you wouldn't be able to make it back to the castle in time for you birthday, so we sent her hawk out to find you. That bird is smart too. It looks like the relationship with Zelda's hawk and her is the same as yours and Epona. Anyway, inside this package is a present from me, Zelda and Midna. Rusl has another package waiting at Telma's Bar, so you can pick it up there. Don't worry, they won't trick you into drinking. I hope you had a great time in Hylia Village! Ilia._

_P.S. Midna's been trying to steal this and change it (she's already done it with five different letters, this is the sixth attempt). Have I ever mentioned I find her both fun and annoying? Well I have now. She's both fun and annoying. Enjoy your present!'_

I find myself laughing at this. Midna trying to steal it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I rip off the paper and find a small staff, about the length of my forearm. The staff is forest green with gold vines twirling around it and attaching the light blue crystal at the top. Why would Ilia send me a thing for magic? I see a note attached to it and read, recognizing Zelda's handwriting. Yay, more reading.

'_Link, I think I've discovered something important about your Triforce. You know that magic is in your blood, right? And I know you've never been able to channel that magic without losing control of yourself,'_ I feel my ears fall sheepishly at this. _'Don't blame yourself, you were never trained in magic. This staff will help you control your power if you lose your temper, which I'm sure you have at least once in the last little while,'_ that's nice, but what does that have to do with my Triforce? _'This is the Relic Staff, and it helps by channeling into a person's magical core, and for you that comes from your Triforce. Granted, you're controlled magic isn't as powerful as mine or Ganon's, but yours is the most dangerous if you lose full control of it. Thankfully this has not happened yet for you, but this is also a bad thing. We are blind as to how strong your magic is or what it is exactly. But on a side note, train with this and you can conjure a little bit of your core. Just be careful, I know how much your fear magic. As long as this is with you, never fear for losing control of yourself. Happy birthday, Link, even if we are in the middle of a possible crisis, we can still enjoy ourselves. Zelda._

_P.S. I'm sure Ilia mentioned this in her letter, but has Midna ever tried to take something to 'modify' it? She's done this three times to me already, and honestly it's quite annoying.'_

I snort, turning the staff around to look it over. I place it down and pick up a small box, opening it to find a polished red stone on a silver chain. I pick it out and hold it to the light, grinning when I see through it. Since this doesn't have a note, I assume this is from Ilia. I slip it over my head and tuck it under my tunic as I reach for the last thing.

I pick up a dagger, jaw dropped as I look at it. The blade is a shiny black and the hilt is orangey/red, reminding me of the sky of the Twilight Realm. In the hilt is a cat-eye ruby and I grin as I run my thumb over the blade, cutting myself a bit on the edge to see the sharpness. My grin widens as I wipe my thumb on my breeches, this dagger will help me so much, I can tell.

'Thanks guys,' I think and tie the sheath of the dagger on my belt beside my Rupee bag and slip the staff into my Never-Ending Bag. Once finished, I leave the room and find Sheik and Charlie down the hall, talking about something. I walk up to them and Charlie beams.

"There you are, Little Beast. We should get going," he says and we head out.

Much like the first time I entered Hylia Cillage, I look at everything I can, not wanting to miss anything. I look over my shoulder, towards the graveyard. 'Thanks,' I think to myself, smiling. I'll never forget this place.

Suddenly, a scream is heard and everyone looks to the entrance of the Cillage to see a green beast jump over the wall. It's bigger than an Orc, and looks it looks similar, but I have a feeling that it's not an Orc. For one thing, it has teeth pointing up from its lower jaw and has the eyes of a hawk as it stomps towards people, who I just now realize are running in panic. I feel Sheik grab my hand and he turns, running. I yelp and try to keep up, looking around in fear as other people bump into us and push us around in their haste to run away. 'Sh-Sheik! I can't run that fast!' I think, but he doesn't seem to hear me.

"Come on, we'll try to get to an alley," he yells over the crowd as a man bumps into him. He holds my hand tighter and I hear the beast roar from behind me, followed by thundering footsteps as it runs after whoever it sees fit.

My legs start burning from running, and bruises start to form from the people bumping and pushing me, but I keep pushing on, knowing I can't let go of Sheik, or I'll lose him.

Not a second after the thought crosses my mind, someone's foot catches mine and I trip. My heart stops for a moment when my hand leaves Sheik's. I only get to see him turn his head in panic before I lose him. Fear rises to my throat as I steady myself and get pushed along. Where is he? 'Sheik!' I mind-yell, practically getting lifted by the people around me. 'Charlie! Where are you?' I yell louder, but I don't hear Sheik or Charlie.

I push through the crowd, trying to find Sheik or Charlie, but whenever I think I spot or hear them, someone runs into me and turns me around, making me disoriented. I keep mind-yelling for Sheik, getting more scared as the moments go on. I look around to see the Orc-like beast swing its hand and hit several people, making them go flying. I spot and alley and my heart lifts, if I can make it there, then maybe I can climb on the roof and try to find Sheik.

I grin to myself and head for it, when a few big guys in front of me stop, making me run into them and stumble back. I manage to stay on my feet, only to get pushed aside by one of the men as they run towards the beast. I fall down, and look up just in time to see someone step on my left hand. I bite my lip and try to get up, but others just push me over and step on me. Just my luck. I finally manage to stand up again and with the little strength I have I push forward, trying my hardest not to go where I don't want to.

As I push my way towards the alley, I mind-call for Sheik, looking around every-which-way for him and Charlie. I hope they're alright. Before I can look back at the alley, I've lost it and I'm once again blind for where I want to go. I curse myself for getting distracted and look behind me, seeing the alleyway disappear as the creature steps in front of it, hitting more people aside and killing anyone unlucky enough to wind up near its feet. I wince when someone crashes into me, making me stumble, but I stay on my feet and keep pushing through, trying to keep my own panic under control. With all the people running around, I feel like a lost kid.

As more time goes on, the fear in me rises and I've had more than one close encounter with the beast thing. I notice guards trying to shoot it, but while their arrows hit the thing, they do nothing to stop it. If anything, they're just making it more enraged.

I get pushed harshly aside, again, and prepare myself, when someone catches my arm. Before I can process what happened, I'm taken into an alley and feel arms wrap around me. It takes a while to realize I'm shaking. Guess I was more frightened than I thought. I don't need anyone to tell me this is Sheik.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, loosening his hold on me. "I shouldn't have been running so fast."

'I don't blame you,' I think, looking up. 'I don't blame anybody. They panicked, it's hard to think when you panic.'

"You don't seem so panicked," he remarks.

'I couldn't afford to be. When I was going through the Twilight, I had to learn to keep my panic under control or I would die. It was hard through,' I look out over the alley, seeing the Hylians getting out and only a few are left. 'At least they're safe. But what are we going to do about the beast thing?'

"Hmm, I'm not sure," Sheik says, letting me go. "Maybe if we found out what it's after we would have an easier time."

"I can tell you what it's after," we jump a bit and turn to see Lune standing there, arms crossed as he smiles. "Sorry I'm late, got a scolding from a certain redhead for bringing my misbehaving brother and dumping him with her."

'What are you doing here, Lune?' I walk up to him.

"If you're curious, I'm here to tell you something about that troll." So that's what it is. "Troll's are similar to Orcs, but are smarter and stronger. It's common sense that they'd be hard to kill. But they are far from immortal. The best thing to kill them with is magic, and I believe you got a present from another Triforce Holder?" he puts a hand on his chin, and I imagine if he had eyes he would have a mischievous look in them. I reach into my Bag and take out the staff Zelda sent me. "Exactly. Keep that with you and you can fight that guy. Be careful, if you're emotions get too strong and you toss it aside, you might find the hidden power of your Triforce."

"Hidden power? I've heard of that. It varies from each Triforce Holder and is unique to that one person. Not one has had the same hidden power as their previous incarnations," Sheik says, coming up beside me. "You'll have to be extra careful, Link. The Triforce of Courage has weak natural magic, but your hidden magic is even more powerful than Ganon's."

'Crap,' I think. Zelda never went on the full details of how powerful my magic would be.

Thanks for leaving me in the dark, Zelly.

"What is that troll after, anyway?"

"I thought you had forgotten. It's here to completely destroy Hylia Village. It was sent here by Majora to wipe out the race, but I guess she didn't count on them getting out. This is the only troll that made it to Hyrule, so if you kill it, then you won't have to worry."

"So we kill it with magic. Got it," Sheik nods. "You stay here, Link. We don't want you to lose control and hurt yourself or others. Can you make sure she doesn't do anything that could kill her?"

"Sure," Lune shrugs and Sheik runs out of the alley. Lune puts a hand on my shoulder before I can follow him. "Wait, I need to warn you of something," I look up at the Demigod, wondering what he wants. "Although my brother is no longer a threat, that doesn't mean you're safe. I know you must know this, but there are many things that will be sent after you. You have a bounty you could say. Be careful who you talk to, and who you consider safe. An enemy could be behind your lines and you wouldn't know it. Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, alright? None of the Goddesses would appreciate if I let you die."

I tilt my head. What is he exactly?

Lune smiles. "I'm a messenger for the Gods, since I can travel to any time in past or future. But I don't have full free travel. You see this?" he holds out his wrist for me to see a golden bracelet with a weird face on it. "In a time far in the future, these things are called 'watches'. This 'watch' allows me to see where and when I am in time. Now, the real ruler of time, Lord Time, is the one who decides where I go and when. If some world is in trouble, he sends me there to investigate. Since he is in close ties with the Golden Goddesses, they inform him of what's going down and he informs me. Because of that, I'm a messenger and am supposed to protect the one who is most likely to be killed," I pail. Jeez, that's comforting. Lune laughs at me and ruffles my head. "Din will probably yell her head off for that. But now you know why I stick around. Well, I should go. Today's my day off," he vanishes and I turn back to the alley's mouth, feeling my face return to its normal colour.

Well great, people are looking to kill me. Why am I not surprised?

I hear a cry of pain and run to the end of the alley to see Sheik fly through the air and crash into a stall due to the troll hitting him. I grip the staff in my hands tightly, my knuckles going white as I feel rage boil in me. I kick it down and point my staff at the troll, a shot of yellowish-green light comes out and hits the troll in the back of the head before it can crush Sheik. It turns to me and spots me, roaring at being attacked. It runs at me and I gulp before sprinting away from it. I wasn't counting on it to be so fast!

I skid to a stop and turn around to face it, taking out my sword and shield. If I don't hold my ground, this thing will destroy Hylia Cillage. The troll roars and swings its tree trunk-thick arm at me. I duck under it and take a swing at it, but my sword gets stuck in its leg, to my horror, and it kicks me, sending me through the air to land on the ground fifty meters away. I gasp as I land on my back and sit up, shaking slightly when I see my shield behind the troll. Crap.

Standing, I take out my bow, shooting an arrow at the troll, but like with the guards, it does nothing but anger the troll further. I run before it can hit me, and I look at my sword, which is still deep in its skin. How do I get it out? I yelp when its foot comes down, almost crushing me, and I grab the hilt of my sword, only to get lifted off the ground when it takes a step forward. It shakes its foot and my grip loosens on the hilt until I'm thrown off. I fly through the air and slam into a roof, groaning as I roll off and hit the ground. Lifting my head, I see the troll is moving towards Sheik. Growling, I stand, ignoring my aching body, and grab the staff from my bag, aiming it at the troll. Strange this thing makes me feel really calm, and even though I know my rage is at the boiling point, I don't feel it. I guess this is way Zelly sent it to me.

I shoot at the troll again, hitting it dead on, and it turns to me, moving too fast for me to register what it's doing. It smacks me and I roll across the ground, getting stopped by a wall. 'Ouch,' I think, sitting up again. I reach for my staff, which is beside me, when I see the troll grab Sheik and throw him towards me. He lands beside me and I sit on my calves. 'Sheik? Are you alright?' I see his side bleeding and a small pinging noise enters my ears, making me deaf to the world around me for a moment before I snap my head towards the troll. Before I can do anything, I shake my head and snap out of it, thankfully before I cause any damage. I can't lose control of myself over a little thing like this. The cut's not even that deep. I take the staff and think to myself. The troll's weakness is magic, so I just need to summon as much magic as I can. I gulp a little, I'm not looking forward to this.

"Little Beast?" my ears twitch at Charlie's voice and I turn my head to see him walking out of an alley on the other side of the troll, his back to us. The troll, seeing easier pray, stomps towards Charlie and my heart races. No, not him!

'I'll be right back, Sheik,' I tell him and run at the troll, a whole new fear bubbling in my stomach. I can't lose my uncle after such a short time! I throw a rock at the troll to get its attention, but it ignores me this time and grabs Charlie just as my uncle turns around. I see the troll ready to break him, and I summon all the rage I feel to power my staff, but the troll sees me and kicks me away. The staff flies out of my hand, making my heart stop.

I glance at Charlie, and this is what causes me to snap. The troll tries to break Charlie's spine, but my Triforce burns as I start to see red. I'm scared, but I can't stop myself as I walk up to the troll and grab my sword hilt, taking it out and making the troll notice me. I step back, sword in hand, and feel a smirk form on my face. Before my eyes, the sword glows and starts to grow, the blade turns into a twisted shape. I recognize the shape, I think Zelly calls it a helix. The glow fades and the Master Sword now has two blades in the helix shape, one is yellow and the other is a greenish colour.

So, my uncontrolled power is to have my sword change? That isn't so bad.

My thoughts are proven wrong when I speak, and not in the broken speech I had in the Sheikah Crypts. "I'm liking this power," I whisper, and this is when I realize I have no control over my body, it's like I'm just a thought floating in my own head.

If I was in control, I would probably have fainted by now.

As it is, I see my vision fading as the smirk on 'my' face grows. Oh dear, this is about to get very, very bad.

Everything goes black. I hear a clank, a thud, and the sound of metal ripping through flesh. Everything is quite. I can't see a thing for a while, but my vision slowly comes back. I just see shadows at first, then grey colours, and finally I can see again.

But what I see is a sight I fear.

The troll's head is split in half, blood and brain matter splattered on the ground as its body lies limply. I blink in shock. The blood forms a pool and a small stream trickles towards me, and I notice some of the crimson fluid dripping off my sword, which returns to its normal, single-bladed self. I look fearfully between the sword and the troll, trying to process what happened. Suddenly, it clicks into my head. I gasp and stumble backwards, falling in my haste to get away from the troll. My sword falls on the ground, the clanking of the metal the only sound I hear, and I crabwalk away from the troll, breathing in shaky gasps.

My ears twitch and I turn my head to look around, Charlie is standing behind me and Sheik's arm is around his shoulders as my uncle helps the Sheikah walk. They both just stare at me, and I stare back. Confused and scared. "Little Beast?" Charlie whispers and I flinch. His voice sounds hoarse and he sounds scared.

He's scared of _me_.

_I_ did this.

"**You're a fool. Don't you see? There is no 'good' or 'evil'. There is no 'light' and 'dark'."**

_I_ killed this troll.

"**You are just as guilty for the cause of death as I am. You've killed many creatures to get to me, you've helped kill a Twili, and you've killed helpless Twili who had no control over themselves. If **_**I**_** am a monster, **_**you**_** are a monster."**

I'm a _monster_.

Getting to my feet, I stumble away from Charlie and Sheik, shaking in fear, before I turn around, sprinting away as fast as I can. I ignore their calls as I keep my head down and my eyes closed, leaving behind my weapons in my haste to run away. I feel tears run down my cheeks as I run out of the Cillage and into the forest, running the fastest I've ever ran before.

What happened to me? Was that my hidden power? I turn into a killer? A monster? What have I done? What if I hadn't stopped after killing the troll? What if I had gone after Sheik and Charlie?

More tears run down my face as I make it to a lake. I fling my back against a tree, shaking harder as I look up at the sky, which is the same as it was before, bright and happy. I want to hide. I need to hide. I can't let Sheik see me.

I climb the tree and see a hollow. Feeling relived, I use the Kokiri Stone to become tiny and hide inside the hollow, curling into a ball and hiding my head. There. I can't hurt anybody like this.

'**You're lying!'**

"**I am not lying. I am telling you reality. We both turn into beasts, we both kill things for our own gain, we both make self-sacrifices to achieve our goals, and we're both monsters. Take it from me, kid, the sooner you accept your role as a monster in this world, the better."**

"**Link, don't listen to him! He's trying to get to you!"**

"**You stay out of this! This is between me and her!"**

'**I…I'm not…a monster…'**

"**You sound so unsure now. You are starting to see the truth. Don't you understand? You're. A. **_**Murderer**_**."**

'**I…am…**_**not**_**!'**

_**Cling! Shing!**_** "AHHHHHHH!"**

I blink, but that doesn't help clear my blurry-eyed vision. 'I…I am…'

-Sheik's POV-

I come out of my stupor when Link turns and runs. I can tell she's afraid, but of what? Shaking my head, I look around to see the dead troll, and it doesn't take long to put two and two together. "Oh Goddesses, what happened to her?"

"I don't know," Charlie shakes his head, staring forward. "I should go after her. She could get hurt."

"No, I'll go after her. You stay here in case she comes back. I'll find her," I say and run after her, pushing my pain to the back of my mind.

Thunder rumbles and lightning flashes overhead before rain pours down, just to my luck. I slow to a walk as I search for Link, calling out to her. Where could she be? Why did she run? Something inside me tugs and I don't think about where I walk, I just walk. Not too long after I get this feeling, I find a clearing with a lake and a single tree is inside the clearing. I stop, the feeling fades, and look around. Could Link be around here? Why did she run in the first place? Sure, I was surprised by what she did, but the way she looked at us when she ran. It was as if she was afraid, not of us, but herself. It made my heart break, that's for sure.

'Link! Where are you?' I don't dare call out-loud. There's no telling what else is out here.

There's a tug in my head and I look at the tree, finding footprints leading to the tree. I smile softly, of course she would hide in a tree. This doesn't surprise me much. I walk over to it and knock on the trunk, calling to her. 'Link, I know you're up there. Come down here and tell me what's wrong.'

When I get no reply, I climb the tree and when I don't find her in the branches, I notice a hollow. Link must have shrunk herself. 'Link, it's me,' I think, sitting beside the hollow.

'…Sheik, am I a monster?' this question shocks me to the Din's Hell and back. Why would Link think this?

'Of course you're not. Why would you think that?'

'Because a…person once told me I was an evil monster.'

I frown. That person was either prejudice against Hylians, didn't know Link, or was just trying to get into her head, because Link is the furthest human being from a monster as possible, even despite being able to turn into a wolf. 'Who thought you were a monster?'

She remains silent, and my heart tugs. I think I know who. 'Ganondorf said it, didn't he?'

'…Yeah. He said I was a murderer. And he was right, Sheik. I killed so many things without a second thought. Only for my own gain.'

'Link, if you're a murderer, than I'm like Osamu.' Never thought I would be using that Tyrants name so soon after he was dead. Or to try and comfort somebody. 'Why would you even consider something Ganon told you, anyway? He was obviously trying to get to you.'

'I know, but some of it was true. I kill things, Sheik. Even if I hate it, I still kill them. How can I not be labeled as a monster?'

'Because you're you,' I think without hesitation. 'And 'monster' doesn't fit in your category. Trust me.'

Silence. Again.

'Link, come out. I won't let you be alone right now,' I tell her, offering my hand to the entrance of the hollow.

I hear rustling and, slowly, Link peeks out, still looking scared. 'How do you always know what to say?' she asks, climbing onto my hand and sitting cross-legged.

I shrug. 'It just comes to me when it's needed. I'm guessing you couldn't control yourself when you gained that sword?'

'No. Everything went black and I could only hear what was going on.' I pail. Jeez, that was horrible to watch. To hear it but not know what's going on… no wonder she was so scared. 'When I got back into control, I saw the troll and well…freaked out. I couldn't believe I had done that. And I had talked.'

"I heard that a bit," I mutter. "Charlie mentioned your eyes turned white, you had no pupils or irises. They were all white."

She blinks, shivering. 'I can't say whether that's creepy or cool.'

"I'd say it's both," I smirk when she giggles. Ha! I made Link giggle! Her giggling sounds cuter than her usual chuckle. How'd I get this lucky? "Alright," I place her beside me. "Grow already. You look like you need a hug, and not get crushed by it."

She smiles and uses the stone. Soon, I can hardly breathe as she hugs around my chest, burying her face into my neck. My heart flutters and I hug back, sighing in content. I could stay like this forever. Sadly, forever ends when the rain starts to fall harder and we're soaked to the bone before long. I help Link down the tree and I notice that her legs are shaky. Probably from the magic she used and using her hidden power.

My gut tugs and my eyes grow wide. Why do I have this feeling that that wasn't her hidden power? Why does it seem like that was only a fraction of what she could have done?

I shiver, but shake the feeling off. I'll worry about it when the time comes. Right now, I need to worry about helping Link back to Hylia Village so we can go to Hyrule Castle. I pick her up, ignoring her protests, and head out, saying she needs to relax a bit.

-Link's POV-

I'm surprised that Sheik found me, since I had found that lake by accident, but I'm glad he came. I look up at him from my position in his arms. He really makes me feel safe. Safer even then when I was with Rusl as a kid. Wonder why.

I wonder a lot of things around Sheik and I'm still not sure what these feelings of butterflies mean. Sheik mentioned it when he was telling me his past, when he and Rosalie were lovers, but that can't be the same thing…can it?

Naw, why would Sheik like me like that? I'm really not that special than any other girl he could have.

My heart pains horribly when I think this. The idea of Sheik actually being with another person hurts quite a lot more than I thought it would. Maybe…maybe this is-

"Here we are," Sheik's voice interrupts my thoughts and I look around, surprised at how short the walk was. I see Charlie wave at us and smile. At least he's not afraid. "How is everyone?"

"They're all fine. The troll didn't cause that much damage, surprisingly. The Hylians are getting to work cleaning up, but we should go. They'll be talking about the Troll Slayer for quite some time," Charlie's eyes shine on me and my face falls.

'Oh Goddesses, isn't being the Hero of Twilight hard enough?' I groan, hiding my face in Sheik's neck. 'I don't want to have another title.'

"Too bad, Shorty, you have many titles," I glare at Sheik for his comment, but he just smiles as he and Charlie head to our horses. My glare melts away at Sheik's smile. I can't stay mad at him for just that. In fact, I don't think I could stay mad at him for anything.

-A Few Days Later, At Hyrule Castle-

I stare at the photo I have as we head into the Castle. The photo is of Charlie, mom, dad and me, and we seem to be having a picnic under the tree I was hiding in the other day. I smile. Thanks for the gift, Rusl, even if it hurt you to keep it from me for so long.

Sheik taps my shoulder, smiling at me. "So did Rusl explain anything else?"

'He explained why he didn't want to give this to me when I was younger. I would have gone out to look for Charlie if I had known I had an uncle. You know how curious I am,' I tuck the photo into my Never-Ending Bag.

"How do you think Charlie's going to hold up? Being part of the Resistance and all."

'I think he'll be fine. He and Rusl are the original people who founded the Resistance anyway. That's still weird to think, but I guess Rusl and my family had to meet somehow. Rusl mentioned that he and Charlie had met when Charlie signed up for the Royal Guard. That's also where he made friends with my dad. Charlie promised to tell me about how my parents met once everything is settled and back to normal.'

"Link, your life will never be normal. You're a short, scrawny Hylian with the Triforce of Courage and are the only girl descendent of the Original Hero and you're not even close to being considering 'old'. And you have the worst luck when it comes to being the Goddess's Chosen," Sheik smirks and I whack his arm playfully.

'Gee thanks, I can really feel your love,' I laugh, but stop when he looks away. I tilt my head. What did I think? And why is he blushing? 'Sheik? You okay? Did I do something wrong?' he looks back at me and I notice his eyes fill with some emotion or other. Can't place what it is, either. 'You can tell me, you know.'

"Yeah, I know. It's nothing, really. We should go talk to Zelda, she said she had that lead, right?" he says and looks forward, refusing to look at me. I look down, putting my hands in my pockets. What did I do? I don't know why he blushed.

We come to Zelda's study and I wave goodbye to Sheik as he leaves, telling me he's going to the library. I enter the study and see Zelda reading. No surprise there. 'Hi Zelly!' I grin, closing the door. 'Thanks for that staff, it was kinda needed just after I got it.'

"How come?"

'Uh…You know how you said I have that 'hidden power' in my Triforce? Yeeeah I kinda, maybe, sorta lost control of it,' I rub the back of my head awkwardly. 'And I-er-may or may not have slaughtered a troll without meaning to. Sooo…yeah,' I sit down in the chair opposite her.

She sighs. "What made you lose control, and if you had the staff, how did you lose control?"

I summarize what happened when we were leaving the Cillage, telling her about the troll, about Lune helping out a bit, about me going blind for a few seconds and waking up to see the dead troll. I'm actually really embarrassed about that, now that I've had time to think about it. 'I know going into that state for something so minor was stupid, but I didn't want to lose my uncle,' I think, looking down at my hands and biting my lip. 'I hate losing my temper.'

There's a knock on the door and I look over my shoulder to see Pretty Boy come in. He notices me and sneers, but I see a lot less loathing in his look. I blink, narrowing my eyes a bit in confusion. What's with the sudden change in look?

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Princess," Pretty Boy bows in apology. "But I will be leaving the castle for a little while. I got news from a caravan that some of my people are in, and I must make sure they are safe," he says.

"Well I hope they're alright. You may take a few guards with you if you deem necessary."

"Thank you for understanding, Princess," he bows again and glances at me again, that weird glint in his eye.

'Why was he looking at me like that?' I ask.

"I'm not sure, but Link, you should never feel stupid. Especially if someone you know and love is at stake. You're very smart, and you do notice what's going on around you, you're just childish and love to goof off, which hides it from a lot of people. Enough about that, though. I did call you back for a reason," Zelda sits back down. "Link, do you know how a Sage is chosen?"

'Nope.'

"They are chosen specifically by the last Sages. Each of them is chosen before the Sage before them dies. They pick a race, and then that's it. It's out of their control from that point."

'Kinda like how we're chosen?' I guess, shrugging.

"Very similar, yes. Not the exact same, mind you, but close enough. The last Sage of Spirit, a Gerudo named Nabooru, was very mischievous and liked to play tricks on many people. Even the Hero of Time."

I get a flash through my head. A woman is laughing at me as honey and feathers cover me. I shake my head. 'Yeah, I can see that.'

"Well, I found a diary that was kept by my incarnation who knew the Hero of Time, and she said that Nabooru told her she wasn't choosing a Gerudo as the next Sage of Spirit, because that was too boring, to use the same race for each Sage. So she mixed it up a bit and said she'd make a human who was part of the Wind Tribe, who were a group of ancient people who lived in a hidden swamp passed Lake Hylia. The one located in Old Hyrule."

'…Seriously? But Time told me that the Sage of Spirit was going to be Gerudo.'

Zelda smiles slightly in amusement. "Well, I guess she tricked him. Either that or she tricked the Princess. But the Princess mentioned she didn't get any glimpse of a lie from Nabooru."

'Good to know before I get my butt whooped by those ladies,' I think. 'So, I gotta go back to Old Hyrule and find the Wind Tribe?'

"Yes, but you won't go alone. Like when you went to find the Sage of Forest, Nura, Adam and Alex will come with you. So are Shadow and Vaati for some reason. I'm not too sure why, but I assume it's to do with the spell they're making."

'Can Sheik come?'

She giggles, smiling at me for some reason. I tilt my head. Why is she laughing? "If you want him to, yes he can. I need to get going. Sorry we haven't had much time to talk, but there's one last meeting I have to go to, then everything will be arranged to start training new recruits."

'New recruits?'

Zelda sighs, standing up and pacing. My ears fall. She only does this when she's beyond stressed. "I didn't want to tell anybody, because I knew they would get scared, but I know you can handle it. Link, we're very close to being in a war. The air has changed around Hyrule, I can feel it. Even the animals are sensing the danger, and some of the horses have tried to attack their riders to escape the city."

Now that I think about it, there weren't many animals on our way back from the desert. 'So…we might go into a war after all?'

"Yes. I fear that day might be closer than we think, and I don't want to risk the lives of my people. Anyone who can fight, from ages eighteen to thirty five, is being trained. And all the farmers, traders and journeymen are gathering everything they can for storage. Not even by my orders, Telma and the Resistance were the ones who started this. I'm grateful for that."

'Why do we need more supplies?' I ask, standing up.

"The war I'm talking about is a siege."

'Oh…' I say, still a little confused, but not wanting to waste Zelda's time. 'Alright, I'll go find everybody. If we're this close to fighting, then we should go as soon as we can.'

"Stay safe, Link. And try not to hurt yourself too badly," Zelda warns.

'Put some faith in me, Zelly. I'll be fine, quite worrying about me and relax. We might be on the verge of war, but you don't want to get snappy when the time comes,' I think, walking backwards to the door and opening it. 'Bye!' I run out and head to the library.

Why do Vaati and Shadow want to come? Last time Vaati needed something, he just sent Shadow with us. What are they planning? Knowing those two, something devious.

"Hey there," I jump and spin around to see Midna laughing. When did she sneak up on me? "You are so oblivious when you're deep in thought," she says, crossing her arms. "So that Nabooru tricked you?"

'Time and me both. Two birds with one stone I guess,' I shrug. I've always hated craning my neck to look up at Midna. She just likes to mock me sometimes because she's so tall.

"Who's Time?"

'That's what the Hero of Time calls himself. The past Heroes call themselves by their titles to make it less confusing.'

"Okay then. C'mon, we should find your lover boy," Midna says, walking passed me. I stay still for a few moments before running to catch up to her.

'Lover boy?' I ask, trying to keep in stride with her.

Midna looks like she's about to smack me. She looks at me with an expression that's a mix between 'are you serious?' and 'how stupid are you?'

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?"

'Spell what out?' jeez, it's like trying to solve a riddle.

"Who have you been with for the last little while?"

'Sheik.'

"And who's helped you out of death the last two months?"

'You, Zelda, Nura, Adam, the Coal-Headed Idiot, Shadow, Vaati, Navi, the other Links, Naoko, Sonja, Charlie, Sheik-'

"You can stop now," Midna says, eye twitching. "Open your eyes, Link! Can't you see the way Sheik looks at you?"

'You mean when his eyes turn softer and a little unfocused?'

"You've noticed?"

'Yeah, of course. It happens all the time,' I shrug.

"You noticed?"

'I already said yes. Why?'

"_You_ noticed?"

'You sound as if I'm an idiot.'

"You've noticed the look…Could have fooled me."

'What?'

"There you are, Link!" Midna goes into my shadow as I turn the corner and see Nura and Adam.

"Zelda already told us about where we're going. It will be cool to travel around Old Hyrule," Nura says, smiling. She looks different with her glasses, but they suit her somehow. "How have you been, anyway? We haven't really seen each other."

"Ugh, I can't believe I'm going with you again," Alex says as he walks up, irritated.

"It's just one more time, Al. Besides," Adam grins, "I thought you said you liked seeing more of Hyrule."

"I was half-asleep," Alex defends weakly, crossing his arms and scowling.

"We should go before these two start fighting," Nura whispers. I nod and we head to the stables, the brothers don't even notice. And people call me unobservant. "I still find it funny that the last Spirit Sage tricked you," Nura says. "But I'm happy that we didn't go on a wild goose chase. Though I suppose it would be interesting to see Alex get mad over it."

'He gets mad over everything,' I think. We come to the stables and I smile at Epona. I won't be taking her with me this time, she deserves a break from all she's done. I'll probably just travel as a wolf. I spot Sheik and look down, scuffing my foot a little awkwardly. I still don't know what I 'said' to make him not talk to me.

Nura looks between me and Sheik, a knowing glint in her eye. She grins impishly. "Why are you shy around him all of a sudden? Did you enjoy yourselves at that village?"

I feel my face heat up at the thought of the night when we were on the roof and he kissed the side of my mouth. That was nice, but very awkward. "I'm taking that as a yes," Nura says. "Link, do you really have no idea what you're feeling?" she asks, tacking her horse. Is she talking about the butterflies? "You've never felt that kind of thing before, have you?" I tilt my head. "Link…I wish I could tell you, but I know that if I do, you'll probably just deny it and start acting differently around Sheik. Just be careful what you do and 'say' to Sheik. You might just ruin your...friendship."

A shiver goes down my spine. I wouldn't like that at all. That would be horrible. Nura smiles. "Good, you understand. Now go talk to him for a bit," she pushes me towards him forcefully, making my feet skid over the ground. She shoves me and I stumble/run forward, landing in a pile of hay in front of Sheik. I sit up and shake my head, grinning up at Sheik sheepishly.

'Hi,' he gives out his hand to help me up. I take it and thank him, picking some hay out of my hair. 'Sorry for the sudden appearance. I wasn't expecting to be shoved by Nura.'

"You just surprised me, that's all," he doesn't look me in the eye, and I frown, moving my head to try and see his eyes, but he keeps hiding them. Huffing, I grab his head and turn it to me.

'What's wrong, Sheik? Did I really say something to make you this upset?' I ask, letting go. 'If I did, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad or uncomfortable.'

He sighs. "I know, I know. And I don't blame you, you were just joking after all."

'But?'

"But what?"

'You sounded like you were about to say something else, is all,' I think and hug him. I ponder for a moment if I should ask him what these butterflies mean, but when I try to ask, someone pulls me away from Sheik. I look over my shoulder to see Shadow smirking.

"Hey lovedoves," he chuckles as I get my tunic free from his grasp. "Quit making a scene, we need to get going to Old Hyrule after all."

We turn our heads to see Nura, Adam, Alex and Vaati staring at us, and I feel a blush rise on my cheeks as I look down. Nura has a knowin smile on her face, Adam's trying to control his laughter, Alex is smirking ever-so-slightly, and even Vaati seems amused about something or other. Things just got really awkward.

Sheik and I don't look at each other as everyone packs their last couple things, and my cheeks are still on fire. And I can't turn into a wolf to make the blushing stop until we get outside Hyrule Castle Town, unless I want to cause a panic like I did way back when.

Midna giggles from my shadow and I look down, sticking my tongue out. "Stop being such a child," Vaati remarks, whacking me over the head as he walks by. I rub the back of my head and glare at the purple mage. "It's hard to believe _you're_ a Link."

"I don't find it hard to believe, Min, Green, Red, Blue and Vio were just as childish as Twi-Twi is," I look at Shadow in surprise. How does he know? He smirks mysteriously. "Hey, you didn't forget that _I'm_ a Link too, right? I get info on what you guys did too. Sky and Time let me in on what's happening."

Now that he explains it that makes a lot of sense. I really do forget that he's a Link.

With everyone now ready, we head out. Sheik makes me sit in front of him and wear a cloak as we go through Castle Town, and my blush turns steadily darker at the looks Nura and Adam send me. Why are they looking at us like that? I honestly can't wait to be a wolf so this blush can go away. Sadly, I don't ever get the chance, because Sheik forces me to stay on Joyce, saying I wouldn't be able to keep up as a wolf. Midna's just laughing at me, which makes me glare at nothing.

Once again, we come to the clearing before the Forest Temple, and I find that in the last two months, vines have somehow made a bridge. I look up and around, feeling eyes on me, and I spot Lune grinning down at me. A woman is beside him, she has green hair that reaches down to her bare feet, a green dress that seems to be made out of vines and leaves, and even from here I can see she has green eyes. She smiles at me too and winks, giving me a thumbs-up and I see she literally has a green thumb. The two vanish and I shake my head a bit as we head across the vine-bridge.

Um, thank you…Green Goddess? Sorry I don't know what to call you.

Somehow, we get along relatively well as we walk into the Lost Woods. Vaati and Shadow are walking in silence, Alex and Adam are talking about names for Alex's and Maria's (Alex's wife) baby, which is due in a few weeks. So far they have Jubilee, Nathan, Catharine and, Adam said this as a joke, Alex. Me, Sheik and Nura are leading the way and being alert to any possible ambushes. We don't want to end up in the situation we were in last time.

"So, where's the way to the Lower Lost Woods agains?" Sheik asks.

'It should be around here some-WAH!' I yelp as I fall through the ground and land on my butt. I look up, pouting slightly. Of course that would happen. 'I found it!' I 'call' up and stand, dusting off my breeches. I hope I can remember the way.

"Nice find, Link," Sheik says when he jumps down, landing with his stupid Sheikah grace.

'Shut up,' I mind-grumble, crossing my arms. 'S'not funny.'

"Yes it is," he smiles. At least he's not avoiding my eyes now. I look up to see if the others are coming, but all I can hear is Adam and Alex bickering about something.

'You'd think they were a couple, not siblings,' I think.

"Come on, you guys!" Sheik cups his hands over his mouth and yells, making me wince and cover my ears. "We have to get going!" he notices me covering my ears and smiles apologetically, I shrug it off and smile. But I suddenly blush when the flash of that night runs through my head. It apparently goes through Sheik's head too, because his cheeks turn pink and he coughs awkwardly.

I gulp. Why is it suddenly so awkward around him? I hope it doesn't last long, it might ruin us. I'd hate it if that happened.

Luckily, the others come and we, somehow, make it to Kokiri Forest. None of the Kokiri are out, but that's probably for the best. I wouldn't want them to get frightened by Shadow or Vaati. We go through the hollowed log and come out to see the old Hyrule Field again. I frown suddenly. Uh-oh, we don't know where the old Lake Hylia is.

"Never thought I would see this place again," Vaati says, breaking me out of my thoughts. He and the others are looking around the field.

"It's a lot less…alive then what it was before, that's for sure," Shadow comments. "But I kinda like it. Gives it some colour."

I roll my eyes at the doppelganger. Of course someplace dead had colour to him. "Do you know where the lake is?" Nura asks them.

"I don't, but Vaati does," Shadow says.

"Um, one question, why are you guys here anyway?" Adam asks. "Last time Shadow came with us it was to get something for a spell you were making."

"It's none of your business," Vaati snaps, heading to the south. "Move your feet, already. We don't want to waste sunlight."

I raise an eyebrow at Shadow, he shrugs. "Like I know what he's thinking all the time. He's a loner bookworm, he doesn't tell me what he's planning."

"Shadow, shut up. If I want that short freak to know more about me, I'll tell him myself," Vaati growls. I notice Sheik stiffen out of the corner of my eye and I look at him, seeing him glaring hard at the Wind Mage. I take his hand to calm him down, and he looks at me.

'Calm down Sheik. Lots of people have called me a freak,' I tell him. 'It doesn't bother me.' I see a bit of hurt in his eyes. But it's more of a sympathetic hurt. Why would he be sympathetic? 'It's not like I've never called myself a freak.' For some reason, his eyes flick away from my face for a few moments before he looks back at me. We're walking behind the others, so they don't notice.

'Link, why would you call yourself a freak?'

'I was the only Hylian in Ordon, I had a birthmark on my hand that burned sometimes, I rode Ordonian Goats for fun, I can 'talk' to my horse-' I start to number off, but he silences me with a clap on the shoulder, about to say something when lightning flashes overhead. We look up to see dark storm clouds rolling in.

"We should try to get to the Lake before the rain falls," Nura says. "It will make travel worse if we wait until the rain's gone, since it will be harder to walk in mud and puddles."

'Sheik, last time we were here, did it rain at all?' I ask, trying to remember.

'No, there wasn't even a hint of dampness in the air.'

'Then this will be bad. I think there might be a flash flood, and if that happens, we'll all be in trouble,' I gulp.

"How do you know that?" he says out-loud, quietly enough so the others don't hear.

'I don't know,' I say when wind starts to blow.

We trek over the field, pulling our cloaks around ourselves to keep warm. Shadow and Vaati are the only one's not affected by the sudden drop in temperature, though that doesn't surprise me at all.

I get a sudden chill and look over my shoulder, half expecting to see a Demon, but I don't see anything. I tug Sheik's arm and he looks at me. 'I think something might be following us,' I tell him.

He hums and looks back. 'Keep your guard up. Who knows what could be out here.'

"Should we be there soon?" Adam asks, making us look forward.

"Yes. The lake's just over this hill," Vaati says, he sounds more irritated than he looks. "Just don't be surprised if it's dried up."

It will be if the rain falls hard enough. I look up at the sky, seeing the clouds condensing more and becoming darker. I can also feel a little static charge in the air. There's about to be a full out storm. We'll need to be careful we don't get caught in the middle of it.

We make it to the top of the hill and find that Vaati was right. There's a giant, cracking dirt hole with some tiny islands in the middle, two rope bridges that lead to them and an old building that's caving in. I see a gate cut into the bigger island and guess that's where the Water Temple was. This place is so sad to be in. I look up to see reeds on the far side of the dried-up hole, leading into a cut-canyon. The way to the Wind Tribe must be through there.

Getting over the shock, I notice the others are in the hole, making their way across. A horrible sinking feeling passes through me as rain starts to fall. That's not a good way to get over! I run after them, slipping and sliding in the mud, and catch up in time for the rain to pour down harder. 'Guys, I don't think that this is-' I start to think when the ground moves. I slip fully and fall on my back. Sitting up, I find that the lake is already filling with about an inch of water, which catches the others' attention. Finally.

"You've got to be kidding me," Alex mumbles.

"We need to get to high ground before something happens," Nura says and we head towards the bigger island. The water is already up to my kneecaps and the other's calves. This is when I don't like being short.

A sudden gust of wind blows at us and Shadow looks at Vaati, not amused, which is very out of character for him. "Look, Vat, I know you like wind and all, but can you stop that?"

"Shut it. I'm not doing this and I need to be stationary to actually summon wind, if you so recall, idiot," he says, bringing up his arm to block the wind. Another gust blows at us and I see Nura's glasses fly off. I gasp with her and look back to see them fall into the water. I don't have time to change into my Zora Armour, so I go with my only option. I hit the back of my neck and turn into a wolf.

I jump into the water, which is half-way up the island, and swim down, hearing Midna yell at me for being an absolute dumbass, since she's dragged down with me. I see the glasses and get them, but when I try to swim back to the surface, I'm stopped by the current pulling me towards the reeds. I get stopped by the reeds and stand, shaking my fur out, which does no change at all. I look at the island and think of how to get back.

"I would suggest not swimming," Midna says. "You'll probably just get pulled under the currents and drown, and we don't want that to happen."

I nod, squinting my eyes through the rain. 'Sheik, don't worry, 'kay? I'm alright! Me and Midna are by the reeds.'

'Okay, just try to…stay there I guess. We don't have many options, and it seems the lake is as full as it can get. It's strange though, it's not getting any higher, even with all this rain.'

'Well, there is a Temple under the island. Maybe the water's draining into the temple and stopping the entire lake from overflowing?'

'I see you're point. Okay, you two stay there and try to keep warm. We'll wait until the rain passes.'

'I hope it passes soon,' I think, feeling myself start to shiver. 'Is it colder or warmer in my shadow?'

"Warmer, somehow. But do you really think I'm going to leave you to freeze to death?" she asks, sitting down on the little bit of land beside the canyon. "And stay as a wolf, you'll be warmer," she pats her lap.

'Thanks,' I think, lying my head on her lap. 'Why does our luck suck?'

"I blame you," I roll my eyes. "But really, I think this is either really good or really bad."

'How?'

"There was no rain when we were last here. That was about three weeks ago now, so it wasn't that long ago. Even in Hyrule it was raining a lot. If this is good, it might help give some water to those Demons. If it's bad, it might just cause more problems than it's worth."

'Right, the demons. I wonder what they're like. I doubt that they're all like Ghirahim,' I make a face at saying the Demon Lord's name.

"I wouldn't know. If they can live with this Hyrule, then I don't really care. At least this land is being used for a reason."

I nod, yawning. I look out to the lake, seeing a sort of shield surrounding the island. Probably from Vaati. I watch the rain fall and wonder, how did the Demons get here? Is there some sort of demon world that they're originally from? Why do they want to take over Hyrule? Maybe I'm thinking too much into these demons. They might not even try anything against Hyrule, so I don't see the point in thinking about them.

Just as it had begun, the rain subsides quickly. The clouds still linger, but now at least we can keep going. I get up and shake my fur just out of habit. I need to get Nura's glasses back. Midna stops me from jumping in the water by grabbing my ruff and pulling me back. "Just wait, alright? They'll find a way over here, so there's no point in going to the island. Anyway, I should hide. These guys might mistake me for an enemy," she says and enters my shadow. I sit down and wait for the others, getting bored pretty fast since Midna falls asleep.

"There he is. Hey Link!" I snap out of my daze and look up to see the others walking along the edge. "Why'd you just jump into the water without thinking?" Adam asks, taking Nura's glasses from me.

"He's reckless, what else?" Alex shrugs, looking down the canyon. "So we'll get to the Wind Tribe through here?"

"Yes. Unless they've moved, we should find them here. It's possible that they moved back to the Wind Ruins after somebody's incarnation's dealt with me," Vaati glares at me.

"Come on, before we start killing each other," Nura pulls Adam and Alex's shoulders as she walks into the canyon. Shadow and Vaati head in as I look up at Sheik, asking him to turn me back to human.

"Sure thing," he hits the back of my neck and I shake my head when I'm human. "Let's go, we don't want to lose them."

'What do you think the Wind Tribe will be like?' I ask.

"Not sure. There aren't many history books about them. They usually kept to themselves, and most Hyrulians didn't even know they existed until the Minish Hero found them."

'I just hope that the Sage is with them, and that we aren't heading into a false direction after all. But Zelda seemed pretty serious about the whole thing. I wish she would relax a bit more. It's not good for her to be so stressed out,' I bite my lip, more than a little worried for my friend. 'Sheik, when we get back, I think I might take Zelda to Ordon so we can just rest and well…I kind of…'

He smiles, seeming to read my thoughts-er…before I-uh-think…them… Anyway, "You want to show her on your own. That's alright. I need to do some extra things as well when we get back. Like finally joining the Resistance."

'They need all the help they can get,' I smile. 'Thanks for understanding, Sheik. And I am really sorry for whatever it was I did.'

"I forgave you the moment you said it," he mutters, smiling. "Besides, it was stupid of me to react like that," he puts his arm around my shoulders and my smile grows before I look around, finding that we're in a marsh after exiting the cut-canyon. I really wonder if Nabooru was truthful about making a Wind Tribe person the Sage. It would be cool, but confusing.

"We're about an hour from the Wind Ruins," Vaati says. "But that is where we'll probably need to go," he points to a tower that's at least a twenty minute walk. "The Wind Tribe might actually still be alive."

"Won't this be interesting," Shadow smirks and we head towards the tower. It looks quite big from here, so I can't imagine what it's like close-up. Guess I'm about to find out.

In no time at all, we come to the tower and I crane my neck to look up at it, rubbing the back of it when I look forward. "Wow, I didn't expect so many people to be here," Adam says and it's true. Teenagers of all ages live here, from twelve-year-olds to twenty-year-olds, they're all wandering around, enjoying the cloudy day. One boy, who must be at least eighteen, spots us and walks up to us, curious but smiling. He has brown hair, eyes and naturally tanned skin.

"Hello there! Who might you strangers be? It's not very common to see a group of…your sorts here," he says to Vaati, Shadow, Sheik and me.

"Hello. My name's Nura, this is Adam, Alex, Sheik, Link, Shadow and Vaati," she points to each of us respectively. "We were just traveling and spotted this tower from far away. What kind of place is this?" she asks, dodging the 'finding the Sage' part. Good idea, we don't need them to think we're crazy.

"This is a library of sorts." Me and Shadow suppress groans. You've got to be kidding me. I look at Vaati to see his eyes spark. "It was built a long time ago by our ancestors, the Wind Tribe, to educate teens so they could go out into the world. We all stay here until we're old enough and venture out to find places to live. We've never gone passed that dried-up lake, since there's no life there."

"So this is a library? And you guys live here?"

"Yes, there are multiple rooms through the building. So many, in fact, that the ones at the very top there are empty," he points up to the top, which is obscured by clouds. "I don't believe I introduced myself. My name's Gale, I'm the top student here and have lived here since I was a little kid."

"Are there any elders here? Or just teens?" Sheik asks.

Gale gives a friendly smile. "There are many older people here, they're the ones who decide which students go where."

I'm nodding, when I see the silhouette of someone standing at the window of the second story. I don't get the 'oh Goddesses! Someone's watching me!' it's a calmer feeling and I'm happy I don't feel like I want to shoot the person. I wave to the silhouette, and I see the shadow move after a few seconds. Did that person see me? Maybe not, even the second story is pretty high up, so I probably look like an ant to them.

Sheik looks at me, silently asking who I was waving to. I shrug and smile. He shakes his head, knowing not to question me by now. Brilliant!

Gale waves at us to follow him, not noticing me waving at the shadow, and as he leads us inside he talks. "You guys are soaked to the bone. Come inside and heat up. A good meal should do the trick," my stomach growls, to my embarrassment. Gale laughs and turns to me. "Don't worry, we get that response from most travellers that come through here. So you're name's Link, huh?" I nod. "You wouldn't happen to be the decedent of the Link that saved Old Hyrule, would you?" I nod again. "Thought so. You look like he does in the pictures, just with darker hair. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves. Since we have so many rooms, you can stay in some of them, I'm sure no one would mind. We get travellers here a lot."

We gape in awe at the building, the inside looks very similar to the Twilight Palace, just with light grey stone and more people. I glance at my shadow, I think Midna's thinking the same as me. I smile a bit and look around more, spotting a boy reading a book on a bench. He's just reading, but there's something about him that stands out. He has tawny brown hair and…orange eyes? Wow, that's cool. He glances up from his book and notices me, I grin and wave at him. He remains expressionless and goes back to reading. I poke Sheik to get his attention and ask him to ask Gale who that boy is.

"Um, Gale, who's that boy over there," Sheik jerks his head at the orange-eyed boy. Gale's happy face melts into an unimpressed sneer as he notices the boy.

"He's nobody, just a kid who's not doing so well here. I honestly don't know why he stays, he's doing so badly in his classes," Gale says, his voice bitter.

Nura and I look at each other as the others shrug it off. I look back at the boy to find him gone, like he wasn't even there. Who was that boy? And why does Gale seem so bitter towards him? Questions, questions, questions. They pile up and have no answers, so I should probably stop asking them.

I shake the thought out of my head. I'll worry about that tomorrow, I need food and some rest. Hopefully we can find the Sage tomorrow, and find out what exactly Ghirahim has planned for the future.

In my thoughts, I don't realize I've lost everyone until I bump into a wall. I stumble back and look around, cursing myself for my stupidity. Where are the others? Midna laughs, coming out of my shadow. "You idiot. You just wandered off aimlessly, and they're all too tired to see what's in front of them."

'Thanks for making me feel better,' I think sarcastically and look around. The hall I'm in is empty and pretty dark, even with my Twilight Vision. 'Where are we?'

"Uh oh," Midna mutters, going inside my shadow as we hear voices.

Two boys walk by, not noticing me as I stand near the wall. "How much time do you think until Avira is kicked out?" one of them asks.

"I'd say…two weeks? He's gotten pretty sloppy with his duties, and it's starting to affect everyone."

"I think you're mistaking that for someone else," the boy I saw earlier is suddenly standing in front of them, arms crossed as the boys jump.

"Gah! Don't do that, you freak!" the second boy cries.

"Why do you need to sneak up on people like that?" the first boy glares.

"I don't. You just don't seem to look where you're going," the orange eyed boy says. The two others run around him. He turns to look at them, hearing them talk about 'rude weirdoes' and their cat feet. He sighs, seeming annoyed, and I step out from the wall, tapping his shoulder. Or trying to. He's at least two inches taller than Sheik, so I only tap his arm. He turns and looks down at me, making me feel like a kid, and I offer a grin as he raises an eyebrow. "You're the boy I saw earlier. You entered here with that odd group." I nod. That's the only way to describe the people I travel with. "What are you doing here? Not many people come around here, so if you got lost, no one would think to look for you here."

I shrug, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. He probably gets what the problem is. "You are lost, aren't you?" I nod. "Well, guess I could help you get back to your friends. My name's Avira, or Freak as many call me," he rolls his eyes. "I assume you saw what just happened." I grimace and nod. "Don't worry about it. I've heard a lot worse than what those two were saying. Trust me," his face doesn't give away any emotion. He has a very hard mask. "Come on, before someone spreads a rumour that I murdered someone."

Sweet Nayru, someone would do that? Why? Avira seems like a really nice guy. Whoever would be that mean is a jerk. "So, can you tell me why you and your friends are here?" I shake my head. "You don't talk much, do you?" I shrug, you could say that. The shadow of a smirk flashes across his face for a second before it falls back into the stoic mask. We walk on in silence, even our footsteps are quiet, when we spot Gale standing in front of us. The others aren't with him and he's scowling at Avira, not even seeming to notice me.

"What are you doing here, Avira? I thought you didn't like coming to this part of the tower," Gale sneers, walking up to Avira and trying to look intimidating. It doesn't work very well, with Avira being four inches taller than him and all.

"I was helping this boy here find his friends," he jerks his head towards me and Gale smiles.

"There you are, Link! The others were worried about you. Well, Nura, Adam and Sheik were, the other three didn't seem to care much." I blink. Really, what's with the sudden change in attitude? These two must have a big rivalry or something. I back up a step, not wanting to get caught up in it. "How do I know you're not lying, Freak?"

"I don't lie," Avira says simply. Giving me a curt nod. "Bye, Link. Enjoy your stay here," he turns, hands in pockets, and walks back the way we came. I frown at Gale, why was he like that all of a sudden?

"Come on, you'd better not waste your time with him," Gale says, guiding me away. "He's just a useless loser." I flinch, and see Midna flinch in my shadow along with me. Guess neither of us have forgotten how she used to treat me. "Nura said you'd be sleeping with Sheik, so I'll take you there," Gale says, oblivious to my flinch, or maybe even just ignoring it.

He takes me to the room and bids me goodnight as I go in. I see Sheik is already asleep and crawl into my own bed, just taking off my weapons before falling asleep. I'll get food in the morning.

Gery: I just realized I end a lot of chapters with Link sleeping, but aw well. Shoot guys, I'm really sorry for the late updates this year, it hasn't been easy getting this together :( But I plan, key word 'plan', to get the next chapter out by the end of the break. I promise I'll try! Really! It's just…life ya know? Busy and full of distraction. Yeah, and Gale and Avira are not owned by me. They are owned by Mihang and deserve respect! Respect I say! Ahem, anyway, I will really try to get the next chapter out sooner, just hold tight guys. See ya!


	26. Chapter 22

To LOZ-fangirl: 'Kay, thank you, thank you again :) Sorry to disappoint you, but I think you'll like what I have planned. Aw thanks! But I don't think I'm that much of a natural. Just a lot of practice. You wouldn't believe me if I told you how bad I was with writing only four years ago.

To alfred pierce: Thank you! There's a reason for that, it'll be explained later. Good! They'll be hanging around a bit :) All shall be explained in time.

To alemery: Thanks :) Huh, that's kinda funny. I've been smacked! :)

To Mihang: Hazzah! Good :) *Laugh* Yeah, but I gotta change the ending once in a while, right? Haha, yeah, I felt the same way when making Nura, Adam, Alex and Sonja (among other people), and I love having my own characters come to life in my own dream world :) Pahaha! Yeah a little, don't worry about it. Aww, thanks-wah! That. Is. Brilliant! Lune's first appearance was in my Thanksgiving Special (you probably know this, just reminding), but I should do that…hmm, that's a very good idea! I'll keep that in mind for sure! Maybe I can work on that if I have writers block! You're a genius! *Returns tackle hug* And I will!

To Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony: I'm happy you gave it a shot and thank you ^_^ Yep! All my chapters are at least twenty pages, which I personally think is a great chapter length. Thank you! Thanks. The things you learn everyday :) Thanks again! I like Ghirahim too, he's fun to write and he's just _fabulous_! It gets better! Trust me! Yay Sheik! Yep! Nice try XD

To Lady Fai: Heh, yep! Nice one, you're the first to guess! Nope, he's just a tall hooman. Thanks! Here ya go! Well, Link had to call the Imprisoned something before she knew what it was

Gery: I don't own Avira or Gale! They belong to Mihang!

Alex: Great, we need to say that now, don't we?

Gery: Yes. I'm not gonna be a thief and steal something that wasn't created by me. I don't own Zelda, only plot and some OCs. There ya go! Done 'n done! Enjoy!

Chapter 22: Search for the Final Sage Part 2

My growling stomach is what wakes me in the morning and I groan, turning over. I'm hungry, but I don't want to move from the warm bed. It's a nice change from the rain and wind yesterday. Then sunlight decides to shine in my eyes through the window and wakes me up. I glare at the window when I sit up. Can't I just sleep in? Oh well. I look at the other bed to find that Sheik's gone. Hmm, wonder where he could be. I kick the covers off and leave my weapons. I don't want to look dangerous wandering around with a sword.

I walk down the 'hallways' of the tower, it still reminds me of the Palace with its wide rooms. I smile slightly when I look out the window next to me. I really hope that I don't have to do this sort of thing all my life. After this is done and, if I'm alive by the end of it, I think I'll be fine with just…not worrying about the entire fate of Hyrule. It would be nice to not have to go through this stuff again.

This thought makes me laugh a bit. Yeah, that won't happen. Not with me being Zelly's knight and having the cursed blessing of the Triforce.

"Good morning, Link," I turn and smile at Nura. "Thanks for getting my glasses yesterday. I don't want to go walking around completely blind again. I'm surprised Zelda's magic worked so well for my blindness, but she said she'd used it before. For the doctor in Hyrule Castle Town," I wrinkle my nose. I've never liked that doctor, he was always grumpy and bossy. "Do you think that after this we won't have to worry as much?" I shrug. I can't predict the future. "Come on, you're probably hungry," she says and leads me through the tower.

We come to a small mess hall and find that there aren't many people here. "Gale was telling me that the people here enjoy being outside, in any weather. They usually just get their food and go outside to eat. He did mention, with a lot of spite, there is one boy who doesn't like eating in the sun, be he never mentioned his name." From what I can guess, it's probably Avira. I want to get to know that guy more; he doesn't seem to have many, if any, friends. At least I had Ilia growing up.

You know what? Food can wait. I want to find Avira. I motion that I'm going for a walk and Nura raises an eyebrow. "Really? You're not going to eat? Alright then. See you around," she walks off and I trot out of the mess hall, starting my search for the orange-eyed boy.

"Why do you want to find that kid? He's a loner," Midna asks, quiet to not attract attention.

'He doesn't seem like a bad guy. He seems very nice and, under that mask, he's probably really sad.'

"Whatever. You're better at judging people than I am. Any idea where he would be?"

'I think he might be where we found him before, since he's not a fan of being outside. But we found that place by accident, so I don't really know where to go,' I think.

Deciding to just wander around and see what happens, I go up some stairs and end up opening a door to a very dark room. I close the door behind me and wait for my eyes to adjust before walking around. I'm in a library, with dusty and ruined books scattered everywhere. Midna comes out of my shadow, giving a soft whistle. "Wow, okay. We can't let Vaati see this room, or else he might rage a bit and destroy the upper tower."

'I don't think he's that possessive of books,' I think, running a hand over some book spines. 'This is actually sad. Why is this place so…empty?' I wonder, spotting a particular book on the shelf. I try to reach it, but I'm just a centimeter too short to get it. 'Midna, could you help me?' I ask.

"Naw, you can get it," Midna shrugs, looking at the shelves to the back of me. "You don't need my help for everything."

'I just want one book,' I mind-grumble, standing as tall as I can on my toes, but I still can't get the book. I huff and look around, spotting a stool that can help. Smiling, I get it and place it down near the bookcase. I stand on it and grab the book, flipping the pages a bit before I spot something in the 'D' part. I go to the page and find _Demons_ written in a fancy, curved writing on the left page, then it goes into detail about Demon rituals, customs, advantages and disadvantages. I read a bit of the first page and flip it over, finding a picture of a large demon with dark, shadowy/red skin, fiery orange hair and harsh red eyes. My eyes widen when I read the words beside the image.

'_This is a drawing of the first Demon King to exist, Demon King Demise. Long ago, he invaded the world of Hyrule, plunging it into a great war with high casualties. With no other choice, the Goddess Hylia created a piece of land with the last humans and sent them up to the sky, beyond the clouds. Then, with a harp and a sword at her command, she and the last surviving races of the land fought to push the monster and Demon threat back. Eventually, after many years, Demise was defeated and sealed away, thought never to return. The Goddess, who was protecting an ancient power the Golden Goddesses forged, gave her sword and harp to the people in the sky, and told them to guard it. They did so with honour, and the two items of the Goddess were sealed into safe keeping. All hoped to never have them used again.'_

I look at Demise. This is the guy who cursed us, huh? He…looks a lot like Ganon. This is his form when he's not the Imprisoned? Hmm, good to know more about this guy.

"I see you're interested in the history of Hyrule," I jump so badly I fall off the stool and land on my back on the ground. I sit up and rub my head, looking up to see Avira standing there, offering a hand up. "Sorry for surprising you. Not many people can hear me walk up to them," he says. I shrug it off when I'm standing. He gives me an odd look, as if he's looking into my thoughts. "You're not running from me?" I blink. Why would I do that? I was looking for you! "You are a very odd person. Most people run from me just because of what I do."

I frown. Okay, the people here are real jerks to Avira, and I'll figure out why. "You look determined about something, could it do with the fact you don't like the way others treat me?" I nod, he must be good at reading other's expressions. "Why do you care about me? I'm the lowest in the tower, I live close to the top, and I've stayed here a year too long, according to everybody." So, he's twenty one? "I'm not a person who you want to know," he sighs and turns, but I grab his arm and refuse to let him leave feeling sad. He glances at me, but keeps walking, making my feet drag across the floor. I try to stop him from leaving, but he just drags me out of the room and into the hall as if he doesn't even feel me. When he comes to some stairs, he stops suddenly, and I fall back. He catches my tunic and lifts me onto my feet, a slight smirk in his eye. "You're very stubborn. Has anyone ever told you that?" I nod. Oh, a lot of people have. Call it a Link trait. He shakes his head, his mask falling back into place. "Why do you want to help me?"

Jeez, here comes the hard part. I rub the back of my head, trying to think of how to tell him I want to be his friend. He waits patiently, and is quick to notice my struggle. "Well, why don't we go somewhere you can write? It might be easier that way," he offers and waves me to follow him. I trot quickly as to keep up with him. The size difference between us must be laughable. "So your name is Link. That's not a very common name." Don't need to tell me twice. "But Avira isn't very common either," he grins, looking down at me. "You have got to be the first person not to shun me."

'I know the feeling of being an outsider,' I think, gluing my eyes forward. 'I've been one my whole life, until a few days ago.'

"So you understand," he says. "It's sad that you do, but it's also nice to know someone else knows what it's like. Not many do, since everyone sticks to their own friends. I use to have a friend, but he abandoned me when we were being pushed around by some older kids. It was either he joins them, or they beat the both of us. They still beat me," I frown. That's horrible! How could someone be like that? "There are many people who are cruel and twisted, but there are still a lot of people who are kind. I haven't been so lucky with the kind, but every little bit helps." He's making fun of me, isn't he? He chuckles, his eyes starting to shine. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make a crack at your height. I can tell it's something you don't like to talk about." No exactly, it's just annoying when others mock me for it. "Don't worry, I'm freakishly tall anyway."

You're not freakishly tall. You're still not as tall as Ganon or a Twili, those people are freakishly tall. I hear a soft cough from my shadow and I grin sheepishly down at Midna. Oops, guess I thought that too loudly.

"Here we are," he opens the door to a room and I see it's a study of sorts. "There's tons of paper in here, so you can ask away."

We sit down and I write, as neatly as I possibly can, that I want to help him take down his mask a bit.

He shakes his head. "My 'mask' is the only thing that keeps me from letting others know that their words get to me. They wouldn't be sympathetic, they would just laugh."

'_Those guys are complete assholes. Why are they so mean to you? Gale seemed pretty angry last night when Sheik asked who you were, but he was so nice to me and my friends.'_

"Gale and I have always been at each other's throats. It's a bit more than a rivalry, but we don't necessarily _despise_ each other. Gale's nice enough to others, he just doesn't like me, like most people."

'_You seem nice enough too. Why don't others give you a chance?'_

"Rumours," he says grimly. "I've been a victim of them for a long time. Other people think I'm an idiot who's too stupid to tell left from right," I don't plan telling him I had trouble with that when I was little, "Or that I can read minds and plot against anyone who think bad of me. Honestly, whoever spread that rumour must be a moron if they can't tell I'm good at guessing."

'_If the whole 'plot against people who think bad of you' was real, I have a feeling the entire tower would be in flames. No offence,'_ I grimace at the end. Even when I'm writing I speak my mind.

Avira shrugs. "Don't worry about it. You're right after all," he looks up at the sun. "It'll be almost noon soon. You'd better get something to eat. We'll talk more later if we have the time," he says, standing as I gather up the paper and quill I was using. I look for a place to store them and open a drawer. Putting the stuff away quickly, I run to catch up with Avira, waving to him when I find Adam and Nura. "Bye," he waves back.

"There you are. Come on, we need to get to the Temple. Vaati thinks we'll find the…yeah you know, there," Adam says, being careful not to mention our goal.

"I wonder what his problem was yesterday. He seemed pretty pissed about something," Nura says.

I could probably ask Shadow, but I'm not sure what he would know. He'll be my best guess right now, though.

-Later-

Once again, I find myself lost and try to block out Midna's remarks, when I conveniently bump into Shadow. Sometimes it feels like someone's planning everything I do. "Mind watching it? Your princess isn't the only person on edge," Shadow says.

'Speaking of that, what's up with Vaati? He didn't seem to be in a good mood yesterday,' Shadow shrugs, guessing what I'm trying to ask.

"Ever since we got to the castle, Vaati's been saying something's been sapping his magic bit by bit. He's a Mage, so he is sensitive to that sort of thing. Any Mage, good or bad, gets snappy and short-tempered when their magic is being taken from them or is blocked off somehow. He'll be fine if he stays away a few days. It's a good thing I pestered him to come here, he would still be sulking in that library in Hyrule Castle if I hadn't."

I nod. That makes sense. But what could be sapping his magic? Why has no one else noticed? I guess it's true no one at the Castle is at 'Mage' level of magic, so that could be why no one else has been affected by this. What I wanna know, is why Vaati or Shadow never told anyone.

"Don't think we wouldn't," Shadow puts up his arms in 'surrender'. "We may not like people, but we know when we're in trouble. Vaati's never the first to admit it though. We were always ready to tell the Princess or you, but something would happen, or we'd forget or just not find the words to say it. It was like something was preventing us from speaking of it."

More to think about. I hum a bit, trying to piece together what this could mean. Is someone inside the Castle sapping magic and using a spell to stop Vaati and Shadow from speaking of it? Could an enemy be behind our own lines? My eyes widen fearfully. Could someone behind our own lines be a traitor?

Or… could it be someone behind our lines who was never an ally?

My eyes narrow as I growl lightly. I suspect that this person could be Pretty Boy. I need to know more though. I need proof to figure this out. I can't just blindly accuse him of using magic against the Castle, anyone can see I don't like him. They would just think I wanted him to get killed. I need to tell Zelda right now, when it's fresh on my mind.

'Thanks so much, Shadow,' I think, running off to find a hawk or falcon I can send to the castle.

By some strange stroke of luck, I hear hawks screeching and follow the noise. I grin and grab a paper and quill, hastily writing down what Shadow told me. Good thing Zelda can read any kind of writing. I bring out a red tailed hawk and tie the paper to its foot, giving it a treat before letting it fly off. Hawks always seem so intelligent, they just know where to go.

I sigh, feeling my heart slow down as I turn. I blink when I see Alex standing there, arms crossed and his face emotionless. "Look, Mute, I don't like being away from my wife when she's so close to having her baby, but I'll admit it, I like traveling around the land and seeing what is has in store. Just tell me one thing, I don't care if you write it down or sign to me, I just don't, but why do you put up with me? I know I'm horrid to you, and yet you still act as if nothing happens after a little spat we have. Why?"

I shrug. Hey, it's not like I haven't dealt with someone like you before, Coal-Headed Idiot. "That's all I'm going to get from you, isn't it?" he asks bitterly. I nod, smiling. "Fine. Just don't think I like you any more just because I asked what I did," he turns to the door and stops for a moment. "And…stop being stupid. The things you're feeling for Sheik are no different from what I feel for Maria. Get your mind together, sit down, and figure out what you feel. I'm sick and tired of all the beating around the bush you two are doing, got it?"

He leaves and I stand there, dumbfounded. What I feel for Sheik, is no different from what he feels for his wife? The thought runs through my head a few times, and Midna comes out of my shadow during this time. "I'll leave you to your thoughts. He's actually the first one to give you such a blunt clue," she laughs. "See you later," she vanishes and I sigh, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Alex must mean the butterflies and the giddiness. The funny feelings I get around Sheik. Sheik always looks at me more than fondly, in a more dreamy state, and he talks softly to me, he makes me feel safe, and when I'm with him, I feel like nothing can hurt me. I feel my own eyes soften when I see him, I still sometimes get giddy over the fact he can hear me, he trusts me with his life, and I trust him with mine.

Everyone gives us knowing, mysterious looks, they drop hints of the things I'm feeling, they try to give us time together, they get amused when we blush at each other.

My head is swarming, and the events of the last few weeks flash through my mind. I hold my head, closing my eyes until all the images of me and Sheik end with him kissing the side of my mouth. I loved that feeling. I loved blushing because of it. I love Sheik's care for me. I love his gentleness. I loved it. I love everything he's done. I…my eyes widen, my heart speeds up and a grin spreads on my face until it hurts. Is…is this…love? Do…do I _love_ Sheik?

I stand up, going to the window and leaning on it to feel the wind that's blowing. I take deep breaths to calm down my heart. Happiness is just running through me and I can't help but cry a bit in joy.

I get it! I understand these feelings! I finally know what they are! I open my eyes, lean over far, and mind-shout. 'Zelly! Guess what? I love Sheik!' I put up a barrier so no one, especially Sheik, can hear, but I still wish for my though to somehow reach my friend. 'I'm such an idiot!' I laugh at myself, giddy. 'No wonder everyone's been looking at me like I'm a moron, I _am_ a moron! I need to tell Sheik!'

A scoff from behind makes my ears perk up and my face falls when the owner of the scoff speaks. "Ah, so you have figured it out, have you?" I gulp and turn, instinctively reaching for my sword, but I wince when I remember I left it in the room. Ghirahim smirks, coming up to me and making me lean back as I try to find an escape route. "What a pity, I thought I could wait longer for you two to finally discover and/or confess your feelings. But apparently you are brighter than I first thought," he puts his arms on either side of me, pinning me to the wall. Not again. "It seems that I'll have to quicken my plans if they are to work properly."

I spit in his face, much like when he had me pinned last time. He just shakes his head. "That childish behaviour is not one my Lady will have. I suppose I'll have to take it out of you forcefully if you continue to do such things."

Get of me you pig! I bring up my knee and get him in the place where it doesn't shine, making him double over. I'll scold myself for the cheap shot later, I need to get out of here! He grabs my shoulder and turns me around, pushing me to the floor where he pins my arms above my head. I look up fearfully as he grins, leaning his face close to mine. "There are many things I will have to do to change you. I can't have you as my wife the way you are now. You'll need discipline, and you cannot be 'innocent' like so many people claim you to be," his grin widens. I struggle to try to get away from him, but he holds me firm and cups my cheek. "Hush now, the less you resist me, the more harm you will bring upon yourself," he leans close to my ear. "There is only one way to turn you into the perfect bride. I will need to change you into a Demon, and only then can we rule Hyrule."

I try to headbutt him, but he moves back and laughs at my attempt. "Cute," he runs his hand down my face. I scrunch up my face at his touch. "Too bad that is something you won't have when I turn you into one of my kind. Why don't we go to my realm now? Get it done and over with?" he bumps his forehead on mine and I start to feel lightheaded. My senses dull and I become less aware of what's going on around me. The only thing that runs through my mind is that I need to escape. I struggle harder, trying to wiggle away from the weight on top of me. It's when hands rest on my shoulders that I come back to my senses. Ghirahim is still above me, but he seems to be smiling more deviously than before. "No, there's no fun in that. Why don't we have a little experiment? All you have to do is stay still," he looks me up and down my body and a dark shiver crawls down my spine. "You really need to start wearing more fitting clothes, no one can see your body," he runs his hands down my sides and I try harder than ever to struggle away. No, no, please Goddess no! Please tell me this isn't happening! Memories of the Fire Temple haunt me, the clear memory of the Minotaur in that hole.

'Sheik! Midna!' I mind-yell as loud as I can, feeling tears run down my face as I try to push the Demon Lord away. 'SHEEEIIIK! HELP!'

-Third POV-

Sheik whistles as he walks through the tower, a blue flower in his hand as he looks for Link. His thoughts kept him up last night, and when he knew he'd never fall asleep, he went out for a walk and came across a garden, flowers of all sorts everywhere. He's finally decided to admit his feelings for Link. It's eating him up from the inside and he fears he might do something stupid if he attempts to keep his love in the dark. That's what kept him up, he kept weighing the goods and bads of telling her, and eventually the goods outweighed the bads and it was decided. He's going to tell her, and he's going to show no fear. He needs to buck up the courage to tell her his feelings.

Suddenly, a cry for help cuts through his mind. His head snaps up and he sees Alex walking his way, seeming not to notice the cry. Sheik recognizes the cry right away. Link's in trouble. "Alex, where's Link?" he asks, catching the Hyrulian by surprise.

"She was sending a hawk to Zelda last time I saw here. Why?"

"I need your help," Sheik tells him.

"With what?"

"You need to take me to where she is, now! Don't ask why."

Alex, confused and irritated, shrugs and starts walking back to the hawk room, only to get overrun by Sheik. Sighing, he runs after the Sheikah, thinking that this is stupid.

Sheik almost breaks down the door and rage builds up in seconds. His eyes narrow in on Ghirahim on top of Link, and the Hylian is trying her best to keep him away. "Get off her!" Sheik orders, grabbing Ghirahim's shoulders and pulling him back. He punches Ghirahim in the face and tackles him to the ground, pure rage egging him on to beat the living daylights out of the Demon Lord. He eventually gets pushed off by magic and Ghirahim stands, wiping his split lip.

"Oh, did you just have to interrupt now?" he scowls. "Alright, Sheikah, I've had enough with you and your meddling," Ghirahim grabs Sheik's arms when he tries to strike the Demon. "We'll finish this properly in the Ruins. You won't interfere," he glares harshly at Alex, who's standing at the door awkwardly, knowing he doesn't have what it takes to take on Ghirahim. The Demon and Sheikah vanish from sight, and Alex moves over to Link, who's curled into a ball and crying.

"Uhh," Alex feels very, very awkward being here. He crouches beside Link, coughing nervously and stuttering. "Eh, he didn't…you know…do anything with you…did he?" Link shakes her head no. "Good, at least you won't have freaky Demon/Hylian hybrid children," wrong thing to say, she shakes more and tightens in her ball. What is she, a hedgehog? Alex rubs the back of his neck, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It will be…er…fine. Now, get up. We need to get you…out of here," he helps her up and she smiles at him. He notices she has a bruise circling her eye, and he decides not to mention it. "Come on, Nura will want to tear off that Demon's head."

Link nods, looking down as Alex helps her out of the hawk room. It takes him a few moments to realize she stopped and he turns, finding that she's looking around the room fearfully. He doesn't need to be psychic to know who she's looking for. "That Sheikah was taken to the Wind Ruins by Ghirahim. It seems that they have something or other to finish," he tells her. She looks at him with wide eyes and Alex actually feels a little sorry for her, but not sorry enough to care. "Coming or not? Standing here won't help him, Mute," he turns and walks off, hearing her trot behind him. He'll never admit it, but he's actually starting to like Link. Before he thought she was just some knight who didn't deserve what she had, but he sees that was sort of prickish of him. He'd never hear the end of it if Adam found this out.

"Nura? Yeah, we have a problem," he says when they find the Gerudo and Adam outside enjoying the sun.

"What happened to you, Link?" Nura asks, walking to Link to feel her black eye. Link tries to wave it off, but winces when Nura touches it, telling her that it hurts.

"She had a run in with a Demon, and Sheik went ballistic to try and save her. The Demon took him away and they're going to duke something out in the Wind Ruins," Alex sums up what happened.

"Alright, we need to get there quickly, before Sheik gets hurt," Nura says, spotting Gale helping a girl with archery. "I'll be right back. Hey Gale!" she runs up to him and he smiles in greeting.

"Hey there, Nura. How have you and your friends enjoyed your stay?" he asks.

"Not very well. Link had a bad run in with a Demon who's been on his bad side for a while. The Demon took Sheik into the Ruins and we need to help him," she explains.

"What? That's not good. A beast was sealed up there not long ago."

"Beast?"

"Yes, it's literally a giant and the elders sealed it inside the darkest hole they could find. We haven't been there for a long time, and that giant ate so many people," Gale says, worry and fear on his face. "You'll need help, that's for certain. I'll accompany you to the Ruins and help you get through them, if that's alright with you."

"That's perfect, actually," Nura sighs, smiling. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. We should head out now, unless we want to find bones," he says and Nura nods, forcing a smile and putting it in mind to not let Link hear that. Things could end badly.

"We'll go for the Ruins in ten minutes, we need to get ready. Be warned, the giant will kill on sight if it sees you," Gale tells them.

"Good to know," Adam says. "I'll get Link's stuff," he volunteers and runs off. The other two head off to get ready.

Link looks like she wants to do it herself, but Nura forces her to sit down so she can take some potion. She winces when Nura applies the potion-covered cloth to her eye, the stinging from the potion has never been a nice thing. It's worse yet to drink it.

"Link, you really are unlucky," Nura sighs. Link looks at Nura with shining eyes. Despite her eye, she looks as if she wants to tell the Gerudo something. "What is it?"

Link flicks her eyes down for a second before making a heart with her hands. Nura smirks, sitting beside her and almost not believing it. "So, you've finally realized?" Link blushes but nods enthusiastically. "It's about time," Nura claps her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll save your boyfriend," her blush deepens, but Nura's happy to see that Link doesn't protest. "Maybe you're not as oblivious as everyone thinks." They laugh and when they spot the guys coming back, they stand and grin once more at each other before going over.

It's time to go to the Wind Ruins.

-Link's POV-

At least Nura is being cool-headed about it. If I had told Adam first, he probably would have gone and blurt it out for the world to hear, which would be awkward and embarrassing. It was embarrassing enough because of my obvious stupidity with the entire thing.

I shake my head. No, I can't bother with this right now. I need to save Sheik again. A small smirk spreads on my face. Looks like we save each other's skins every other day. It's a never-ending cycle, isn't it?

Stop getting distracted!

We follow Gale as he leads us away from the tower and towards the Ruins. I get the feeling of being watched and look over my shoulder to see a shadow standing at a window like when we first arrived. Like before, I wave to the shadow, I assume it's Avira, and see the movement of a wave. I smile and turn back to the others, ready to find Sheik.

I put my hands in my pockets, letting out a soft sigh. I really should have noticed these feelings earlier, but with everything going on, I guess it made me all the more oblivious to what the butterflies meant. Well, I'm not so clueless anymore! And when we get Sheik out, I'll need to tell him how I feel. I don't care if it's not smart to get attachments near a war, I'm gunna tell Sheik, and nothing's going to stop me.

We go deeper into the marsh as fog starts to roll in, obscuring our vision. "Be careful here, you don't want to run into anything or trip," I stick my tongue out at Nura when she looks at me. "And we'll need to stay close or we'll get lost. I can't tell you how many times it's happened to me, and I've lived here all my life."

Every so often, I look behind us, alert to anyone possibly following us. I've had enough run-ins with the creepy Demon Lord to start being paranoid.

The fog steadily thickens as we keep going through the marsh. Gale had pulled out a torch from his bag and that is our only source of light. I just hope he doesn't lose it or something, I might be able to see in darkness, but fog is a different matter. I hear the caw of a crow and look up, seeing its shadow overhead. If I was superstitious, I would probably be freaking out. The older people I have met always get scared when crows or ravens are about, saying that they signal death or something. Honestly it's all foolish nonsense to me, but each their own.

I blink when the ground suddenly shakes, as if it's an earthquake. Once the tremor passes, Gale looks back at us. "Everyone alright?" after he asks, a loud roar comes from ahead, making all of us look in front of us to see the fog clear, reviling a crumbling building covered in vines and fungi. A shiver goes down my spine for some reason, but no one else notices.

"What was that?" Adam asks.

"That was probably the giant the elders put in here. I would have thought it would starve to death right about now. Just hope it doesn't find your friend," my ears fall and my eyes widen at the thought. Nura puts a hand on my shoulder, giving me a comforting squeeze.

"He'll be fine," she whispers and I can only nod.

"Alright, now whatever happens, try not to get split up. This place is a maze and a half and you _will_ get lost if you have no idea where you're going, regardless if you're good with directions. There's only one guy I know who can find his way through them, and I'd rather not mention him," Gale mutters bitterly as we enter the ruin.

Seriously, what is his problem with Avira? Did they have some close-to-death fight or liked the same girl? Avira mentioned they don't exactly hate each other, but from what Gale says and how he acts when Avira is even thought about, I think it's just Avira who doesn't despise Gale and that Gale really does hate him. What created that hate though? That's the million Rupee question.

A bonk on the back of my head wakes me from my thoughts. I rub my head and glare at Alex as he walks passed. "Quit daydreaming, or do you want to get lost in this place forever?" he asks rhetorically and I run to catch up to the others. I look around at the walls, feeling unnerved by their lack of strength. It's as if the walls could cave in at any moment and forcefully separate us.

With my horrid luck, that's probably what will happen. Either that or we'll fall into a trap that leads to the giant.

The Ruins are pretty simple, a lot of halls with multiple ways to go, but it all looks the same. Gale wasn't kidding of how easy it is to get lost here. Every now and then we hear the roar of the giant and the ground shakes. Every time this happens I have a mini panic-attack, thinking the walls will cave in. Thankfully, they haven't yet. But what makes me the most worried of all is that I see nothing other than us wandering this maze, so does that mean they got lost or did the giant get them? I shiver at the thought of seeing bones and meat in one of the corridors.

"Hmm, I don't trust this hallway," I look up to see everyone stops and look around them, seeing rubble covering the floor. "Be careful, this could well be a trap set up by my Tribe thousands of years ago," Gale warns and walks forward, being careful not to move too fast as if that will prevent the walls from falling in. Nura puts an arm out in front of me and shakes her head.

"Guys, don't go yet," she says and picks up a pebble. She tosses it forwards and it lands down the hall. The moment the pebble hits the ground, the floor opens up into a gaping hole for a few seconds before closing back up. "If the floor can't hold that, there's no way it can hold us."

Then another earthquake shakes the ruins, making me stumble into a wall and use it as support. Once the shaking stops, I tentatively open my eyes, expecting to see the way caved in. Surprisingly, nothing's different. The only thing I notice is that dust is now covering the floor. I blink and look around to see the others getting their footing back, no one seems to be hurt though, which makes me sigh in relief. I look around again, being careful for an aftershock, and push away from the wall.

"It's like the giant is having a temper tantrum," Alex mutters, dusting off the front of his tunic. "Have these tremors been here since it came?"

Gale furrows his brow in thought. "I believe so. Granted, I wasn't with the elders when they put that thing in here, so I can't be sure. The Tower is strong enough that it won't shake even under the most dire earthquakes, so no one felt them there either."

I wonder if there's something else here other than just the giant.

"We should head back and see if we can find another way," Adam suggests.

Then I hear something that makes my heart stop for a moment. I look down the hallway, not spotting anything, but I think I heard something make a cracking sound. I hum quietly, about to shrug it off, when a larger, louder cracking sound alerts the others, making them tense. "What was that?" Adam asks.

"What do you think?" Alex says rhetorically.

The ground beneath our feet breaks in two and I find myself with one foot on each side. Without thinking, I push off my right foot and slam my back against the wall, closing my eyes as the place shakes. "Guys!" I open my eyes and see that the entire hallway split in half and the other side is at least twenty-five meters away, which is where Adam and Alex are. "You alright there?" I turn my head to find Gale and Nura to my right.

"We're fine," Alex calls back, helping his brother to his feet. "What do we do now?"

"There's a door over there for you guys," Gale nods to a small out-hang to their left, parts of the floor are still solid despite being detached.

"There's one for you too. We'll try to find another way to meet up. Be careful," we nod and they walk to the door. Lucky them, we're stuck with having to sidle across the bit of flooring we have to get to our door.

"We won't get anywhere if we don't move," Nura points out and we start going, concentrating on not slipping or falling. "Gale, why did this place split apart? Does it do that normally."

"Not that I know of. Most of us from the Tribe don't bother with learning about this place, since none of us come here. It's forbidden for many to come here in the first place." My head snaps to Gale, if it's forbidden, then why did he come? He didn't even have to really, we could have gotten through ourselves. Nura seems to be on the same line as me.

"If this place is forbidden to you guys, why did you come along with us inside?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. I see Gale's eyes widen for a nano-second before he calms.

"You guys need help to know what you're dealing with here."

"But you just said your Tribe doesn't bother much with the history of the Ruins, why would you come not knowing what _you're_ dealing with?" During this time, I've make it to solid ground and wait for the other two, leaning on the wall with my arms crossed. Nura's bringing up good points, and Gale can't seem to answer them. I notice his gaze flick to me every now and then, which makes me tilt my head wondering why he's looking at me like that.

He opens his mouth to say when he slips. With a gasp he, probably by instinct, grabs Nura and they start to fall, but somehow I manage to catch them before they fall into the open-mouth pit that goes who-knows-how-deep. I tighten my grip on Nura and try to pull them up, but with both their weights I find they're too heavy for me to get them up. Shoot.

Nura tugs one of her hands away and I instinctively hold her other hand tighter, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth as my arms scream from holding up two people. How can I wrestle a Goron but not lift two people?!

"Link, don't get frustrated. For one thing, you might still be tried from all that's happened, for another, this isn't something easy to get out of, you're only half on the ground yourself," Nura tells me. "Just calm down, okay?"

"How is someone as small as him even holding us?" Gale whispers, but Nura shushes him as I look behind me to see if there's anything I can grab onto so they can get up. I spot a rock, but I'll have to let one of my hands go, and I know I don't have the strength to hold them up with just one arm. At the thought of my arm, a jolt of pain makes me wince. I can't hold them forever, even now I can feel Nura's hand slipping from mine, but I can't let them fall. Who knows if they'll survive? I just hope I can wait it out for someone to help.

Oh right, we're in a Ruin that's supposedly forbidden. Does anyone even know we're here? I shake my head from the thought and squeeze my eyes shut as I tense, my arms slowly getting weaker. For the Love of Nayru, somebody help!

Just after finishing my thought, I feel a hand grab the back of my tunic and I'm lifted back, pulling Nura and Gale up with me. Once I see they're on solid ground, my first instinct is to punch at whoever's holding me up, but they put me down gently. I rub my upper arms and look to see-

"What are _you_ doing here, Avira?" Gale scowls at the other boy.

Avira shrugged nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head as if we hadn't almost fallen to our deaths. "Just out for a stroll and saw you three hanging around. Thought you would need the help," he risks a small smirk before his mask falls in place. "The real question is; why are _you_ here, Gale? Last time I checked, you hated anything to do with this place."

"What I do in my time is none of your business," Gale says curtly as I shuffle away from the two rivals, nursing my arms.

"Thanks," Nura claps my back and I grin, happy they're fine.

"Gale, you really shouldn't be here without knowing about this place's traps."

"Oh, and you should?"

"I took the time to read up on this place, and it is filled to the brim with booby-traps, as you see here," Avira waves lazily to the pit. "This is only the beginning. It would probably be best if I help you out."

"We don't need _your_ help," Gale growls, balling his hands into fists.

"Would you prefer falling into that? Because that would have happened if I hadn't shown up," Avira says, calm as ever as he turns to the door. Gale's neck turns red and it doesn't take a genius to figure out he knows he's wrong. That just makes him all the more angry.

We go through the door and find ourselves in a square room that has greenish-yellow water splitting it in half. A door is on the other side and I step forward when Avira pulls me back. "Not so fast, Link. That 'water' you see is acidic. I doubt you want your skin to melt off," I step further back from the water. Oh. That could have been bad.

"Well, Master of the Ruins, what's your plan?" Gale asks bitterly.

"Give me a moment," Avira says and crouches by the acid water. His eyes go over every detail of what's before us and I see them flash with light for a second. That was quick. He stands and claps his hands. "I got it. We need to weaken the roof so that parts of it will fall in the water, then we can step across them like stepping-stones."

"And how, pres-tell, are we supposed to know the roof tiles won't break apart?" Guess who?

"Don't you see? The roof is made up of the same kind of stone the ground is. The ground isn't being dissolved or destroyed by the acid," Avira says. "But how will we weaken the roof?"

"Link, do you have your bombs on you?" Nura turns to me. I nod and take them out. I only have three left, so we'll have to make this count.

"Perfect. Mind if I take one?" Avira asks and I hand it to him. He squeezes it to light the fuse and throws it at the roof. It explodes on contact and causes parts of the roof to fall. The impact causes the acid water to rise for a few seconds before settling. Luckily it doesn't touch us. "This should be fine for now. Who wants to go first?"

"I vote for you," Gale mutters. Avira hears him and shrugs, walking over to the edge of the floor and deciding which rubble to jump to. He decides quickly and leaps over the water with ease, landing on a piece of rubble in the center and lifting off that to land on the other side. He does all this in a few seconds, and it makes me wonder if he's faster than Sheik. "Show off," Gale walks to the edge and steps on a piece just at his ends reach of his leg. He hops to it, then to a bigger piece not far from it. He looks at his feet and steadies himself, his legs are a little wobbly, probably from nerves.

"Better get this over with. Be careful, this would be a bad time for you to be clumsy," Nura warns and jumps to some rubble, leaping ahead of Gale and to the other side.

I take a deep breath and look at my options. There's a small piece that's the closest, a bigger piece that's a wide jump from where I am, and the largest piece near me that's a bit too far for me to jump to. I don't want to risk it, so I jump to the smaller piece, balancing on one foot, and quickly jump to the biggest piece before I can fall. Nura suddenly calls my name and I look up, wondering why she sounds so urgent.

"Don't look at me! Look at that!" she yells and I turn my head to look behind me, seeing our first monster smash down the door. A Moblin enters, how it got here I have no idea, and I gulp as I look back to the acid water and jump to the next bit of rubble. I make it to the biggest part in the middle when the rubble tilts dangerously to the side. I yelp and pinwheel my arms as I turn, finding the Moblin is not affected by the acid. He's standing right in it and is pushing down on the rubble with his fist. He pushes down a little more and I gasp as I loose my footing and start to slide towards the Moblin, my eyes widening in panic.

I kick out my feet when I'm near the Moblin and stop myself, pressing my back to the rubble and keeping out of the acid. I risk looking down and see I'm only a few inches above the water, making me gulp as I look back up at the Moblin. He snorts at me in irritation, probably because my feet are pressing into his stomach, and he pulls out, making me stretch my legs in fright of falling down. Before I can fall, I push off the rubble with my back and grab the Moblin's nose ring, making him roar. My face gets the full blast of it. I ignore the pinging in my ears and the stench and use this time to climb onto his shoulders, grabbing his ears to stay on.

He starts flailing, tossing his head around in an attempt to throw me off, but I can't help but laugh. This is like riding an angry Ordon Goat! I forget about the acid water and keep laughing, my blood pumping as I tighten my hold on the Moblin's ears.

"What? Why is he laughing?!" I hear Gale yell.

Nura laughs. "Link may be a Hylian, but he was raised as a farm-boy in Ordon. This must be like riding a goat to him."

The Moblin suddenly pulls forward, I'm still laughing, and he charges at a wall. I risk standing on his shoulders and jump off before he hits. When my feet land on some rubble, I hop from piece to piece, making it to the other side and collapsing on my back, holding my stomach. What a ride!

Nura helps me up, rolling her eyes. "Come on, before it wakes up," she tugs the shoulder of my tunic and makes me stumble forward a bit after her. I see Avira smirking and Gale's staring at me as if I had just spoon-fed myself poison.

"You are absolutely crazy," Gale says and I nod.

We go through the next door and I notice a single column of light in the center, the rest of the place is pitch black. I let my eyes adjust and notice about ten suns on the walls, dull coloured and with faces. Three doors are in this room, the one we came through, one across from us that is barred shut and a third to our right. I look back at the suns, what significance do they have? Or do they have any purpose at all?

"Hmm, I feel a weird power coming from the door ahead of us," Avira says. "I think we'll need to get through there."

"Really? I had no idea," Gale says sarcastically. I ignore them and head to the unlocked door, opening it and stepping inside. The door shuts loudly and a shing sound follows behind. I wince and glance behind me. Shoot, I should have known this room would do that. This is what I get for going alone.

I examine the room, it's brightly lit; with chandeliers hanging from the roof and tapestries falling down the sides of the wall. There are so many that the walls themselves are hidden behind them. There are eight columns on either side of a red, velvet carpet, four on each side, and the carpet stretches to a big, brown throne-like chair with a large suit of armour sitting in it. I shiver when I see the armour, it's like its staring at me. I walk towards it cautiously, there's no telling what can happen. A thick layer of dust covers the armour, but it's polished to a shine, not a speck of rust can be seen. My face reflects in the armour and I crane my neck to look at the head again. My eyes make contact with the visor and I see a fleck of light for a second before the armour stands, making me yelp and stumble backwards, tripping over the carpet and landing on my butt.

I crab-walk away from the suit of armour as my heart pounds in my chest, it looks down at me with a blank expression, the glowing orbs in its visor acting like eyes. It summons a large, double-headed axe and stomps towards me, its footsteps making the ground shake. I flip to my hands and knees and run forward, stumbling when the axe lands where I was moments before. I look behind myself to see the armour following me, its movements slow and heavy.

With no other choice, I unsheathe my sword and shield, taking a deep breath as it comes at me. It swings its axe and I jump back, slashing forward and hitting its chest-plate. But it swings the axe back before I can react and knocks me across the room. I hit a column with my back and slide down it, wincing when I land on my tailbone. I guess it's still bruised from my time as a puppy. I get to my feet and sprint from the armour as it brings the axe down. Before it can recover, I jump and strike its back, making it grunt and almost collapse on its knee.

If I can hit it hard enough in the back, could it be easier to destroy?

Worth a shot, I guess. I walk backwards to get away from its next swing and stab forward when it tries to pry the axe from the ground. I stab right at the armour on its shoulder and the armour there breaks off.

I get it. This thing is similar to a Darknut, so if I can get the armour off, I may be able to destroy it easier. All I can hope is that it doesn't become crazy fast once the armour's off.

Being extra careful, I manage to get more of its armour off, but it gets faster every time. Soon I have to run far from the suit before I can risk attacking, and that's only if the suit makes the first move. My back suddenly bumps into something and I look up to see I hit a column. Then something crashes over my head and sends me to the ground. My sword and shield fall out of my hands and clatter on the floor as I lay here in a daze. Slowly, I try to get up, but a foot on my back forces me down and the more I struggle, the more the foot presses down.

I turn my head, seeing the suit of armour raise it's axe high, when Midna jumps out of my shadow and grabs the back of the armour's suit. She flings it across the room and it crashes into the wall. I can't help but a smile a little as I get to my hands and knees. She helps me up, by 'help' I mean she yanked me up harshly, and she summons some magic in her hand.

'You couldn't help before?'

"Sorry. I couldn't get out of your shadow for some reason," the Twili says, shooting the suit of armour with her magic.

'What?' I wonder when the armour charges at us and Midna picks me up like a kid before teleporting to the other side of the room.

"We'll worry about it later. We need to get rid of this first," she says, putting me down.

'What is it anyway?'

"Like I would know," Midna says, shooting the armour again. "Now get your bow out already."

I do just that and shoot the armour between the visor, blinding it momentarily. I pull out th Megaton Hammer and crash it down on its foot, making the leg armour fall off. The suit falls back, making the ground shake, and I lift the hammer up again to bring it down on its head, but a flash of memory from when I killed that troll in the Cillage comes back to me. I get knocked out of the thought when the suit hits me with the flat of its axe, sending me across the room again.

I sit up and see the suit falling apart, unmoving. I stand and wince under Midna's gaze, knowing what's coming.

"Okay, what was that? Why did you just stop yourself from killing it?"

'...Were you there when I told Zelda about my little magical mishap?' I ask.

"No."

Sighing, I tell her what happened. Every time I say this I feel more and more like an idiot. Midna flicks my ear, making me look up in surprise. "You moron, you didn't think me or Zelda would think your were stupid, did you? You had no control over yourself, and sometimes it's the seemingly littlest things that can cause someone to snap. You're uncle almost getting killed was a good reason to lose it in my opinion. But I never thought you of all people would use such powerful magic to transform into something."

'I didn't either. I don't even know what I was,' I think, hearing something fall. We look over and see a shield. I pick it up and hum in slight awe. The face is polished much like the armour of the suit we just fought, but even more so and a design of a gust of wind is on it. 'How is this going to help? My shield works just fine.'

"It's not a normal shield, moron," Midna rolls her eyes. "It's a mirror shield. You can direct light with it. Back in the other room, there was some light and suns. Maybe if you hit the suns with the light, the door will open."

'Ooh,' I think, looking at the door and seeing a sun above it. 'I get it.'

"Good girl," she pats my head before going into my shadow.

I roll my eyes and look around. Maybe there's a window behind one of the tapestries. I go behind them to take a look and find a bit of light. I step back and tug the tapestry hard, making it rip off and fall on me. It surrounds me and I kick at it to get it off, falling over once my head gets out. "How graceful," Midna comments as I kick the rest of the tapestry off.

'Thanks,' I mind-mumble and get up, seeing a stream of light coming from the window. I bring the mirror shield up and point it at the light, seeing the gust design on the all. I guide the light to the sun and it turns a brighter yellow as a creepy smile shows up on its face. The bars on the door rise up and I walk out to see Avira and Gale arguing. Well, Gale yelling, Avira's just standing there with his arms crossed, looking more annoyed than anything. Nura looks over at me when the door opens and rolls her eyes.

"See, what did I tell you? Link's fine," she says, making Gale and Avira look at me. I wave a little.

"What are you? A puppy? We can't look away for two seconds before you go running off," I fight to hide a straight face at that comment. Gale has no idea how close he is to his statement.

"You've got the Mirror Shield," Avira says, walking over. "This will help us a lot in here. Perhaps it can even distract the giant when we come across it."

"Wait, 'when'? What makes you think we're going to see the giant at all?" Gale asks.

"The demon probably took Sheik there already. If they're fighting, the demon will want back up in case something goes wrong." I gulp. That is _not_ what I want to hear. "We need to go there if we want to save the Sheikah."

"Right," Gale nods, acting as if he knew that. I can't help but roll my eyes at that. Give it a break, Gale.

"Okay, now we just need to figure out which sun opens the door," Nura says, looking around at the suns. "So do we just shoot any random sun?"

I wouldn't risk it. What if one of them's a trap and gets us killed? I bet my hat that at least two of them are traps. But the other questions is how we determine which ones are safe or not.

"They're all the same, none of them stand out from the others," Gale says, walking towards one. "How will we know which ones will work at all?"

I look at each of them, once again grateful for my Twilight Sight. Gale's right, they all do seem similar, but there must be some difference between them. One of the suns catches my attention, the one above the door we entered to get in here. It's slightly bigger than the others. Perhaps this is the one we need to hit? I go to the center of the room where the light is and direct it to the sun, making it brighten up and bars grind as I look over my shoulder to see the door unlock. Wow, that was lucky.

But the luck is short lived when a pair of Dinalof come out of the opened door. I didn't even know they could open doors. I shake my head from the thought as one of the Dinalofs breathes fire my way, singing my clothes a little, but at least it didn't get my skin. Burns hurt a lot. I jump forward at the lizard creature, slicing its collar bone and making it cry in pain. It retaliates by snapping at me and grabbing my arm. It tosses me aside and leaps on me, crushing me under its weight. I turn my head to see Gale and Nura fighting the other Dinalof. Where's Avira?

"Don't you know it's not the enemies you can see you should worry about?" my ears twitch harshly and I look around. It sounds like his voice is coming from all directions. Even I can't tell where he is. The Dinalof snaps its head around to look for Avira, tasting the air with its tongue. I try to wiggle away, but it grabs my ankle and holds me upside-down so I can't get away. It suddenly lets out a cry of pain as a cut appears on its forehead. It lashes out, trying to hit Avira, but it clearly misses and gets a harsh blow to the back of the head. It drops me and I land on my head, groaning as the room spins. I'm really surprised I haven't gotten brain damage with all the times my head has been hit/landed on.

I roll away from the Dinalof before it can grab me again and I sit up, still dizzy, to see three Dinalof swim in my vision, coming at me with its claws raised to strike. But its left arm suddenly snaps harshly behind its back and it's pushed forward. It trips over me and I feel a foot kick my shoulder as it's taken to the ground behind me. I stand as fast as I can and spin around, finding that Avira is overtop of the lizard, a broadsword held in both hands and the Dinalof's head decapitated. I feel like vomiting at the sight, remembering the troll. Jeez, guess that made a deeper mental scar than I thought.

Choking back the vile, I stumble over to Avira, who nudges the Dinalof away with his foot. "Are you okay?" he asks. I merely nod and look over my shoulder to see Nura and Gale finish off the other Dinalof.

"That sure caught me off guard, but at least we won't have to worry about them," Nura shrugs, opening the door the Dinalof came through. We follow and see that we're once again in a labyrinth of a maze. I groan, hoping another earthquake doesn't rip the place in two.

A fowl smell suddenly makes me choke on air and I feel a hand thump my back as I fight to breathe. I smile gratefully at Nura and cover my nose with my tunic, eyes watering from the smell. It's like rotten flesh and old blood. What's making that smell?

Avira shushes us, waving his hand for us to stay, and moves forward. He carefully looks around the corner of the maze and pulls back, his mask falling enough for me to see he's surprised and worried. "Guys," he whispers, stepping back and pressing his back to the wall. "This isn't just a maze. It looks like it all leads to the center area of the Ruins. Right around this corner is the giant." So soon? "It's sleeping right now, so we'll have to be extra careful and get by. If we can get passed it, we might be able to find Sheik and the Demon in no time. No talking, and tread cautiously. Even the slightest sound could kill us," he warns and heads out, his footsteps weightless.

Gulping, I follow and look around the corner, blinking in astonishment. Avira and Gale weren't kidding, this creature, which looks quite similar to an Orc or Troll, can only be described as a giant. It's bigger than any monster I have fought/seen and looks as if it can eat Castle Town like it was a piece of lettuce. I shiver as we walk towards the giant, I really hope it doesn't wake. Avira leads us down a small crack in the wall that is only about half a meter wide and we come out the other side to see the giant roll over in its sleep, turning its head to us. I look down the hallway we're now in, there's no place to go but straight, where it ends in a fork in the road. If the giant wakes up, it will see us and we'll be in deep trouble.

Avira puts a finger to his mouth and points down the hall. I get the message and tiptoe beside Avira, arms spread to the sides to keep balance. Suddenly, a sharp, stomach turning pain stabs me in the gut, making me bite onto my fist to keep from crying out. I feel my gut and find that nothing's wrong, and the pain leaves as soon as it comes. What?

I don't have a full time to register the feeling when another, more painful stab goes through my chest, right above my heart. I tumble over and land on my hands and knees, breathing heavily and trying to be quiet. Then it feels like hands are wrapped around my neck, squeezing the air out of me. I hear a voice. The voice of Ghirahim. But how?

"It's so nice to have such powerful magic." Another stab in the gut. "Being able to silence anyone has its benefits, especially when there's a hungry giant near us." A slap across the face. My vision is blurry, and I can see an image of a person looming over me. But...it's not me. "You really are foolish. Thinking you can really take me on. Do you not know about what I can do? Have you ignored those valueless lessons of yours." Fire surrounds me, licking my skin with its hot touch. How do I feel this? I know it's not happening to me, but I can feel the pain as if I'm experiencing it first-hand. "No simple human can defeat me." In an unfair fight, I can't help but think. My vision completely turns and I can see perfectly, and yet, I'm not seeing a ruined hallway, I see I'm on a platform, risen above the giant with my hands and feet bound, and a gag across my mouth. Ghirahim turns his head suddenly and a smirk rises in his eyes. "Well well, looks who it is," my hair is grabbed and Ghirahim forces me to look to where he was. A jolt of surprise sends a chill down my spine when I see myself doubled over, jerking and twitching in pain. Nura's trying to help me up, but she can't seem to even touch me without getting her hands burnt. "Why don't we watch the fun of them running through this dull maze, hmm?" Ghirahim chuckles and glides onto the giant's head, pulling a sword from his sheath. "Time to wake up, big guy."

With a forceful tug, I'm sent back to my body. I fall back and pant, looking up at Nura in fear. She risks the chance to help me up and gets me to my feet when a rumble shakes the floor. We look behind us to see the giant opening its huge eyes. Even from here I can see our reflection in the tunnel-like orbs. The giant's face changes from surprise, to anger, to hunger in only two seconds before it stands, reaching out for us.

Silenced by fear, we sprint down the hall. Nura yells at the guys to look behind and they see the giant awake and ready to feast. Avira speeds ahead with Gale not far behind, Nura's just trying to help me keep up. I see a shadow appear below us and risk look up to see the giant's hand closing in. I push my legs to the limit to run faster and faster, sensing the hand only inches away from us. Avira looks over his shoulder and runs at us, Gale right on his heels to help. Gale and Avira each grab one of my arms and lift me off my feet, running with Nura in the lead. I desperately try to get my feet to touch the ground, but neither Wind Tribesmen will let me.

This becomes a problem when we come near the fork in the road. I can already tell where this is going. I try to tug my arms free, but they both hold me tighter and start to go opposite ways, making me yelp and causing them to take a few steps back. Gale glares at Avira and Avira sighs in annoyance. My arms hurt from being tugged different ways and I look up in time to see fingers wrap around us, squishing us together. How lucky of me, I get caught between the two. I try to breathe as the two of them try to escape, but their struggling only makes it worse for us.

"Oh great going, Ruin Master. If you had just let go of him, then we wouldn't be in this mess!" Gale yells, making me wince as his mouth is right by my ear.

"So everything is my fault now, is it?" this is the first time I've heard anger in Avira's voice.

"Everything is your fault! If you had left the Tower, than your pathetic life wouldn't me so miserable!" I lower my head, trying to make myself as small as possible. I see the giant looking over us and nudge Avira to get his attention back on the problem.

"Maybe my life wouldn't be so miserable if any of you treated me like I was human," Avira growls. Oh boy. "In all my years at the Tower, Link was the first one to not judge me solely on what I looked like and how I acted."

Guys! I knock my head back, seeing the giant pulling out a sack the size of a small shack, but neither of them notice. The giant's hand loosens and we fall down. I land on my back and shake my head, looking up in time to have Avira fall on top of me and crush me. I gasp and try to push him off, but Gale lands on top of him and adds more weight to the problem.

Avira lifts his shoulder a bit and looks behind himself to see me and winces. "Gale, get off of me, now," he orders.

"What?" Gale asks, dazed from the fall.

"We're crushing Link!" Thankfully the two get off and I sit up, moving so I'm not behind Avira or Gale. I look up and see the top of the sack close, leaving us in total darkness.

Not long after the sack closes, I hear deep breathing coming from Avira. I look at him and my eyes widen. He's looking around in complete panic, his eyes wild and scared. He pushes on either side of him and his breathing grows quicker and shorter as he looks around, desperately looking for a way out. I put a hand on his shoulder, but he jumps and jerks away from me. Gale feels the jerk and scowls. "What's your problem?"

"Where's the exit? Where's the way out?" Avira yells, pure panic and fear in his voice. I gulp, remembering when me and Ilia were playing in the forest, she fell into a small hole and panicked horribly. I later learned from Rusl that she has Claustrophobia, a fear of small spaces. It looks like Avira has the same problem. Oh man oh man, how did Rusl and Bo help Ilia? I wrack my brain to try and remember how they helped her with her fear, but nothing comes up, it was so long ago.

I suddenly get kicked in the face and hold my nose as I come back to reality, Avira is in full-out panic-mode and is flailing around, causing the entire sack to move and spin around, making matters worse. We all get tossed around and I knock heads with Gale more than once in Avira's panic. I fall back and shake my head, only to get crushed by Avira again, only this time I get pushed further into the fabric. He presses his back onto me and I look at Gale from over the older boy's shoulder, pleading for help.

"Avira, calm down!" Gale says firmly, grabbing Avira's shoulders and slapping him across the face. "That giant is going to eat us, and you're more worried about this small sack? Get over it!" he slaps Avira again and his snaps the orange-eyed boy out of his flailing.

"Wha-what?" he asks, dazed, when the sack is turned upside-down and we tumble out, landing harshly on a stone floor. I get to my hands and knees and look up to see Sheik lying on the floor on the other side of the room. I crawl towards him, but bars stop me. I grab onto a bar with one hand, feeling tears fill in my eyes at the sight of him. Bruises cover his face and cuts go up and down his arms, a large stab wound is just above his heart, but it looks as if someone healed it. Still, how could Ghirahim do this to Sheik? _My_ Sheik?

'Sheik. We're here. I'm here. You're gonna be alright. Sheik...' I stretch my arm out, trying to hold his hand, but I can't reach.

His eyelids twitch and he lifts his head, smiling wearily when he sees me. "Link," he says slowly, reaching out and grabbing my hand. I can't help but smile at him.

'Don't worry Sheik, we'll all get out,' I tell him, looking back at the others to find they're knocked out. I feel a hand touch my cheek and look at Sheik to see his other hand caressing my face.

"I know you will. I saw you running from the giant. When you got caught, Ghirahim knocked me over the head. I guess that's how I wound up here," Sheik explains, sitting up with a grunt. I squeeze his hand.

'I know. Somehow I saw through your eyes,' I feel my own eyes burn. 'He hurt you so much, Sheik. I hate him.'

"I'm not fond of him either," Sheik says, attempting a joke. I smile fondly and give his hand one last squeeze before letting it go.

'How can you joke at a time like this, Jerk?'

"The same way you can, Shorty," he retorts. I let out a soft giggle and stand, looking back at the two Tribesmen.

'I need to wake these two up before we escape. One second,' I think and walk over to Avira and Gale, shaking them awake. They easily come to and Avira sits up, rubbing his head. He looks around before looking at me sheepishly, clearly embarrassed.

"Sorry," he scratches his cheek, which is still red from Gale's slap. "I have a bad case of Claustrophobia. I can't think straight in small spaces. I never would have thought Gale would help me," he looks at the other boy as he sits up.

"Don't think I did it for you. You were crushing Link."

"But why didn't the giant eat us? Why did it just dump us here?" Avira wonders out-loud.

"Because that wasn't a real giant," Ghirahim's voice makes me jump and he comes out of the shadows, standing in front of our cells. "The giant was just a decoy and never existed. The tremors you felt where my magic shaking the place, the crack was part of my plan, and the rest of the traps were just coincidence that you ran into them at all. I made the giant not long ago, knowing I could never control something so large, and I sent it here to camp out. I knew you would come here eventually to look for the Sage," I wince when Avira and Gale look at me. There goes our plan to keep the mission secretive. "And I thought it would be prefect. And it was. I got the Hero, the Sheikah and two Tribesmen who are possible candidates for the rite to be called Sage. Now, Hero, you're coming with me," Ghirahim opens the cell and Sheik swears.

"You touch her, and I swear I'll fucking break your arms off!" he yells. Avira and Gale stare at me, but I ignore them as a small blush rises on my cheeks. I can tell Sheik's not lying, he really will break Ghirahim's arms.

"You stay out of this, Sheikah," Ghirahim snaps and goes to grab me, when he stops and grins at Sheik. "No. I've got a better idea," Ghirahim knocks me over the head and I fall forward in a daze, unable to move. I hear scuffling and can only guess that he put Avira and Gale to sleep. A hand grabs the back of my tunic and lifts me of the ground, I'm helpless to react. I stiffly lift my head to see Sheik being dragged along in Ghirahim's other hand. He gives me a reassuring smile and I return it, feeling my love for him burn.

Ghirahim takes us to a large room with chains on the walls and hanging off the ceiling. He tosses me aside and hangs Sheik above us by his wrists, making my blood boil. I count to ten quickly. No, I won't lose my temper. Not again. Not ever again.

The Demon chains me to the wall so I'm sitting and summons a whip, making my eyes grow wide as saucers. No! Not Sheik! Ghirahim raises the whip and Sheik yells at me to close my eyes. I do so and wince when the crack of the whip sounds through the hair and Sheik's hiss of pain follows. I gasp, feeling pain in my back as if I am the one being whipped. Sheik is whipped again and I feel his pain. I. Feel. His. _Pain_.

I shake in rage. That Demon, that _monster_, is hurting my Sheik. My love. The one I've loved for so long but have only now realized. I'm not going to loose him so soon after I discovered what these feelings mean. My blood boils, my temper rises, and I feel my muscles bulge under the chains, straining the metal. My eyes close and when I re-open them, I'm glaring at Ghirahim with pure, true hatred. I hate him. I hate him more then I hate Ganondorf. I'm going to kill him!

No! The last bit of my sanity screams at me. Yelling at me to stop the transformation. I don't want to become that thing again!

The chains start to crack.

No please! Don't take over me! Don't make me kill like that again!

One breaks silently, as if even the metal wants this to happen.

Another crack of the whip. More blinding pain. More cries. The sound of dripping blood. Tears roll down my face, and the other chain breaks. I stand, holding out my hands, and the helix sword I once had returns as I grow taller. Silver-green armour covers my torso, arms and legs, my hat grows longer and turns the lightest shade of blue I have ever seen, my hair turns snowy white and my skin tans drastically. A light blue tunic, much like the hat, grows under the armour and heavy boots and gauntlets cover my arms and feet. I feel emotionless as I look up at Ghirahim and Sheik, who are both oblivious to what just happened.

Then, everything goes black.

Metal hits metal.

Metal hits flesh.

Pain.

Whip cracks through the air.

More pain. Stinging pain.

A cry of rage.

More metal on metal.

A gasp.

A snap of the fingers.

Gone.

Disappeared.

Ran away.

Coward.

Bloody coward.

Cowardly demon.

Coward...

"Twi! You need to wake up!" a familiar voice that I have not heard for a while breaks through my mind and I sit up fast, knocking heads with the one leaning over me. I hold my head and look up, seeing Time, holding his head and looking at me in concern. "Thank Nayru, you're alright," he helps me sit up slower and I look around, finding that I'm in the Sacred Realm.

"What happened?" I jump, I forgot I could talk here.

"You lost control of my powers, again, is what happened," a low, grouchy voice snaps and I look over to see a very tall man standing there, arms crossed and looking unimpressed. He looks exactly like I had when I lost control, except he has milky-white eyes and red and blue markings on his face. I imagine I had the same markings and eyes. "You do realize that whenever you use your uncontrollable magic, it sends a part of my magic to deal with it, and exhausts us both?" I just tilt my head. "Mortals, always so stupid."

"Give her a break, Oni, it's not like she knew what she was doing," Time says before looking back at me with a smile. "Twi, this is Oni. He helped me in Termina when I was fighting Majora."

"Majora?" my voice cracks, I don't bother to cover the blush on my face. "You mean the crazy lady with the scratchy voice? You fought her?" again, my voice cracks here and there.

"With Oni's help," Time corrects.

I look at Oni, he glares back at me. I don't think he likes us very much. "I take your power when I become like that? I'm sorry," I say, my voice cracking more than once. "I never knew what my hidden power was, I didn't think I would sap your magic to become that. I didn't mean to."

"I know that, stupid girl," Oni snaps. "But that's not why we brought you here. I have a favour to ask," I nod. "Inside those Ruins, my earth form is waiting. It waits inside a mask, my mask, and will let you control your transformation and what you transform into."

"That sounds more like information than a favour," I say, wincing and clamping my hand over my mouth. I. Hate. Talking. Oni glares, but otherwise ignores my comment. Time hides his snicker behind a cough.

"You didn't let me finish. You may have heard Majora mention a brother, and that only the power of that brother can completely take care of her-"

"You're her brother?" I ask, tilting my head. Oni raises an eyebrow.

"So you aren't completely stupid after all," I huff, biting back a rude comment that could end with me in a pile of ashes. "Yes. I'm Majora's older brother. It's a long story of how things went wrong, but details don't matter. I will help you fight Majora when the time is right, if your keep control of your transformation. I'll be able to contact you through the mask you'll be wearing, so don't fret over that. Got it? Good. Send her back, Time. Her lover's worried," Oni waves his hand passively and walks away.

"He's kinda jerkish," I comment.

"I know, but he's right. Be careful looking for his mask, it's very powerful," Time warns and sends me back to reality.

"Link, are you alright?" Sheik is the first one I hear and I open my eyes, seeing his face in a blur.

My eyes grow wide in fear and I huge him, shivering. 'It happened again, Sheik,' I think, burying my face into his shoulder, not wanting to see the damage I caused.

"I know it did, but nothing happened. You fought Ghirahim, but he escaped quickly. You didn't hurt me, you just destroyed the room," he assures me and I take my face away from his shoulder to see the walls crumbling and the ceiling no longer exists. "Come on, we should find the others and get out of here."

'Yes and no,' I think, remembering Oni's words. 'There's something I need to find first. I need to find a mask.'

"A...mask?" Sheik asks, helping me to my feet. I nod, feeling a sting on my shoulder. I feel it to see a cut. I'll worry about it later.

'Yep. I need to find a mask that will help me control my powers and defeat Majora when the time comes,' I explain as we leave the destroyed room. We find Gale and Avira still sleeping in their cells and wake them before starting to leave.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" I grin at the familiar voice and look in another cell to see Adam and Alex chained to the wall. "We got taken by the demon right after we went through the door. He thought you would be with us. Or, he hoped you would be," Adam says as we help them out.

"We just need to find the Gerudo and we'll be out of here," Gale says.

"Is she alright?" Adam asks.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's a Gerudo, after all," Alex rolls his eyes.

"There's just one thing I want to ask," Avira looks at me and I shrink into myself. Uh-oh. "Why are you pretending to be a boy?"

"Long story short, she was already being mistaken for a boy because of her short hair, and since she can't talk, she couldn't deny it. It also helped since she was going around Hyrule. She would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention," Sheik explains for me.

"Doesn't make sense to me, but whatever," Gale says.

"It makes perfect sense. The only women people see with weapons are Gerudo, so it would make a low profile," Avira says.

"Is there anything you don't know?"

"I don't know magic, I don't know archery, I don't know how to ride a horse, I don't know how to live in a forest-" he begins.

"Nevermind," Gale grumbles.

'If you didn't want to hear it, you shouldn't have asked,' I think.

It only takes about ten minutes to find Nura, who smirks and holds up a map. "Found it after Linky pushed me away. By the way," she hits me over the back of the head. "That's for being stupid and risking your life."

I roll my eyes and Sheik tells them about the mask we need to find. Avira hums, tapping his chin. "Mask mask mask..." his eyes shine. "I think I know where it is. We need to head back to where the fake giant was sleeping. It will probably be there."

"That would make sense, with all the things we've seen. But why is a mask so important?" Adam asks.

'I'd rather not go into details,' I think to myself as we head to the labyrinth for a final time.

"So, the real reason you guys are here is to find a Sage?" Avira asks.

"Yeah, it was Link's mission since the Twilight Smog was threatening to take over. She's been going around finding and awaking Sages for the last, what, two months?" Nura says. I nod. About that.

"Twilight Smog?" Avira and Gale both ask. Gale glares at Avira.

"It's a bog that is going to take control of Hyrule if it's not stopped. We need the Sages help, so we've been finding them. We just need to find the last one, which is a Wind Tribesmen," Sheik says.

"So that's why the demon thought we were candidates for being the Sage," Avira concludes.

"Most likely," Alex says as we come to the center of the maze. The 'giant' had been sleeping in a large pit, and I can't even see the bottom of it. On the other side, I see a small pedestal, something resting on top. Could this be the mask Oni and Time told me about? It really was being kept here.

"How are we going to get it? It will take too long to go around, and we might get lost again in the process," Adam wonders, looking into the pit.

"I think I can get over," Sheik says.

'But you're hurt,' I think, seeing him straining to keep standing.

'I'll be fine,' he thinks back, but I see him wince slightly and feel the stab wound on his chest. I look him in the eye and he sighs, nodding. 'Alright, I won't go. You're right. But how do we get over?'

I rummage through my Never-Ending Bag, wishing I hadn't gotten the Double Clawshot taken in the Forest Temple. I don't find anything and shake my head, shrugging. Then a bit of light catches my eye and I look up to see a cracked part of the roof. Maybe if we break it, sunlight will come in. But how would that be useful? I look around and see another sun on the bottom of a platform hanging off of some chains on the ceiling. Ah.

I pull out a bomb and toss it up, exploding the roof and making everyone jump. I grin sheepishly as the light pours in, maybe I should have warned them first. I use the Mirror Shield to guide the light to the sun, which brightens like the ones before and a clicking sound is heard. The floor in front of us stretches to the other side where the pedestal stands and a ticking sound goes off, like a timer. Uh-oh. I start sprinting across the makeshift bridge before anyone can stop me and get to the other side with seconds to spare. The floor retracts into where it once was, but I don't bother to pay that much attention to it, what catches my interest is the mask. This is definitely Oni's mask.

I take it, cringing and waiting for a trap to go off, but nothing happens and I look over my shoulder at the others. "Well that was anti-climactic," Midna states from my shadow. "Now to get back. Any ideas?"

'Nope,' I bite my lip and tap my foot, trying to think. I lean on the wall behind me when it turns, making me yelp as I fall forward. I get to my hands and knees, looking around and letting my eyes adjust. I expect to see Ghirahim or something, but all I see is a Darknut. Fighting time.

-Sheik's POV-

I try not to panic. Really. But it's so hard when Link is being her usual, reckless self to finish a job. With no other choice, the rest of us have to follow to make sure she's alright, but we can't get over without something to reflect the sunlight.

Wait. I reach into my own Dimensional Bag and pull out my harp. Of course! I can use this. Remembering what Link did, I let the sunlight hit my harp and point it to the sun. "That's brilliant," Adam says and they head over first, I keep the sun shining until they get on the other side. I run after them, ignoring my injuries, and make it to the other side when it feels as if something knocks me over the head. I get dizzy for a moment but shake it off in favour of making the wall turn. I see Link lying on the floor at my feet, holding her head.

"Are you alright, Link?" I ask, helping her up.

'I'm fine, just look out for the Darknut,' she thinks, standing and shaking her head. I look to see the living suit of armour and pull out my throwing knives. I glance over my shoulder, but find that the wall is stuck, leaving the others on the other side.

"Looks like it's you and me," I say, getting ready to throw when a second Darknut appears out of the darkness. "You ready, Shorty?" I smirk.

'Always, Jerk,' she retorts, also smirking and we go back to back, shooting the Darknuts with knives and arrows. Much like the other times we fought together, we don't look or tell each other where to go or what to look out for, we fight as if we're twins, reading each others thoughts and movements without actually talking. We take down both Darknuts with ease and smile at each other, when a large thud causes the ground to shake. We snap our heads to the source and see a giant Darknut the size of a house tower over us, just as the others get in.

"Looks like we're going to have a tough fight," Avira says, pulling out his broadsword.

"For once, I agree with you," Gale says.

**Darknut Lord: Deathknox**

Deathknox roars and swings his sword at us, but we roll separate ways to dodge it. Alex stays back by the wall, trying to stay away from the fight. It's understandable, Alex has never seemed to like fighting.

I pull out my chain-whip and get it ready, coming to Link's side as she brings out the Megaton Hammer. We jump away from the sword when it slams into the ground and see Nura throw her twin glaives like boomerangs to hit Deathknox's head. He looks in her direction, but she's already gone and Adam sends a bomb arrow at him. He swings the sword again and almost hits the redhead, but luckily it misses and Adam stumbles away.

Gale takes this as his chance and brings his sword down on the Darknut's leg. He roars and kicks Gale, sending him back, but he lands on his feet and rushes back in. Avira suddenly jumps from nowhere and catches the Darknut's arm, making the armour fall off. Gale glares at him for some reason or other but goes back to fighting.

Link hops onto Deathknox's foot and slams the Megaton Hammer down. The Darknut lord lets out a cry of rage and goes to swipe Link, but I send my whip out and catch his wrist before he can hurt her. I pull back with all my strength and manage to throw him off balance for a few seconds, enough time for Nura to land another blow to his denting armour.

"We can't keep going on like this," I say to Link when we are standing side-by-side, shooting Deathknox. "We need to find a weakness quickly, or we'll just exhaust ourselves uselessly."

'Okay,' Link shrugs and runs to Deathknox. Shoot, I should have known she'd volunteer to find it. I stay back, as much as I hate it, and distract the Darknut with the help of everyone. Even Alex manages to play decoy. Link climbs up Deathknox's armour and comes to his shoulder. 'I found it!' she waves at me and I see the side of Deathknox's helmet is worn and cracked, showing a gem underneath. I smile, but that fades when Deathknox notices Link and flicks her off.

I run and catch her before she hits the ground, but the impact sends us both into the wall. I knock my head on it and find myself only half-aware of what's going on. Link sits up and shakes her head, turning to look at me. I see her start to panic as my chest wound starts stinging. I can only imagine it's bleeding again. Link rips a part of her tunic off and presses it on my wound, keeping pressure to stop the blood.

-Third POV-

Link and Sheik aren't the only ones getting knocked away. While fighting, Nura and Adam get hit by Deathknox's sword and sent to the ground, knocked out by the blow. Alex goes to help them, but he's slapped away by the Darknut. This all happens so fast that both Gale and Avira have trouble registering it.

"Great, this is all going to shit," Gale mutters, finding himself back-to-back with Avira as Deathknox slams his arms into the ground on either side of them.

"We need to think. We know where the weak spot of him is, but how we get up is the question," Avira says.

"You're over-thinking, Weirdo. Why not get him down here? If we trip him, we can hit the spot easily," Gale rolls his eyes. Avira looks at him from over his shoulder, a spark in his eye.

"That's not a bad plan. Let's get it into action. Stand back, and wait for my signal," Avira says.

"Why?"

"No time, just stand back," Gale runs to the side just as Avira dashes around the room, an unseen blur the the naked eye. "Hey, Deathknox," the Darknut Lord looks around, trying to find the orange-eyed boy. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Avira jumps from the roof and kicks down into Deathknox's face, making him stumble back and knock a part of the wall away, reviling yet another pit.

Gale whistles, for once impressed, before rushing at Deathknox, who is struggling to get up. He raises his sword but is smacked away by Deathknox and flies towards the pit. He grabs onto the edge just in time and fights to stay on. Avira kicks Deathknox again and sends him back to the ground, not noticing Gale's predicament. He only notices when he's about to send the final blow to the gem in Deathknox's head. He sees Gale's hands slipping and a million thoughts go through his head. Ultimately, he drops his sword and runs at Gale, grabbing his hand just before he falls. Gale blinks, why would Avira save him, after all he did to the guy?

Avira helps Gale up and smiles. "You alright, Gale?" he asks. Gale just nods mutely when Deathknox grabs Avira, crushing him in his hand.

With a cry, Gale shoots Deathknox, but the arrow deflects and thuds into the ground near Link and Sheik, making the Hylian look up and see what's going on. She stands and runs towards the Wind Tribesmen, grabbing Avira's sword off the ground and having a hard time holding it with even two hands, and throws it with all her might at Deathknox's helmet. It hits directly and the gem explodes, causing the enchanted armour to fall apart. But the damage has been done.

Gale stares at the remains of the Darknut, waiting for Avira to come out and say something witty, but he waits uselessly. Link gulps and taps Gale's shoulder, looking as if she's asking if he's okay.

"Avira saved me," he mutters, almost in disbelief. "And he was killed just by that?"

Link's ears fall and she looks on as Deathknox's remains turn to ash. Death spares nobody. She sighs sadly and goes back her friends, helping them up and letting Sheik drape an arm around her shoulders. A blue column of light appears and the six of them leave, Gale last to look around one last time.

"Maybe...he wasn't a complete loser after all."

-Link's POV-

We arrive in the Sacred Realm, and I smile. I was sad about Avira's death, but I have had my suspicions for a while. My suspicions are confirmed when I see Avira appear on the last circle, arms crossed and smiling. "Heh, who would have though someone like me would be a Sage?" he laughs.

"Wait, you're not dead?" Gale asks.

"Of course I am. Sages have to die to awaken. Though the way of awakening sucks," Avira grins. "Oh, you're welcome, by the way."

Gale just looks away, seeming ashamed. "I'm sorry for all the thing's I've done to you."

"I forgave you after each," Avira says before looking at me. "Well well, looks like you've done it. You've found the new Sages of Hyrule and we'll be at your service when the time comes. Now that your quest is over, you need to go back to Hyrule Castle and explain all you can to the Princess. I'll see you again," he gives me his medallion and, like the many times before, everything flashes white. "Good job."

We find ourselves back at the Tower, it's night and the stars are glistening in the sky. Gale walks stiffly, staring in front of him in a daze. "Thanks," he says. To who he says it to, I'm not sure, but he runs to the Tower before any of us can ask.

"We'd better get some rest," Nura says. She and Adam head in. Alex follows not long after and I smile at Sheik.

"Thanks, Link," he says before looking like he remembers something and flushes. "Um, I just remembered something I needed to do. I'll see you in the morning," he says and runs off.

I'm a bit disappointed, I want to tell him that I love him, but I guess it's really important. I go and sit by the swamp, not minding the damp grass as I stare up at the stars. They seem to be dancing. It's so pretty.

I hear muttering and look behind me, ears perked. That's Sheik's voice. Whatever it was he had to do, he sure did it quickly. I get up and follow his voice, finding that he's behind a tree, a blue flower in his hand. "I need to tell you...no no. I'm in lo...no that won't do," he mutters, pacing the ground. I make sure to keep hidden in the shade of the tree as he takes a deep breath, looking into a puddle. "Link, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now. At first, I didn't want to think about the feelings I had, I wanted them to keep locked up away forever. But every little thing you did made my emotions run wild. Your smile, your laugh, just the look in your eyes. I was in denial, I was trying to tell myself that the feelings weren't real, that they were just a petty thing, that they didn't matter. But they did. They mattered more to me than you could ever know. The moment I saw you, I felt a strange, familiar tug. One I hadn't felt for a long time. At that moment I thought your were a guy, and I was a little more than freaked out. But when I found out you were a girl, it made more sense. But the feeling wasn't very strong then. My feelings grew when I danced with you, not knowing it was you, and I lost myself in your ocean eyes. You're beautiful, wonderful eyes," I feel a blush turn my entire face red. He thinks my eyes are beautiful? "I wanted to find out who the girl was behind the mask, and I found her not long after. When I met you again that rainy day in Jabu's lake, I was surprised to see you at all. When Jabu pushed you into me, my heart fluttered and I had glared at him, knowing he thought we should get together. Still I denied it. I denied it through the time when you were a pup, and only started to really fall out of it when you were back to normal and in my arms. But the last straw of denial was drawn after I told you my past. You didn't hate me, you didn't hate Sonja, you hated nobody but Osamu and Rosalie. That was when I couldn't deny the feelings I have for you. Link...I love you," a smile so large that it hurts breaks onto my face. He loves me! He loves me! "I've loved you for so long, but I was scared that you wouldn't love me back, or would get distracted from the task at hand and get hurt. I would hate myself if you got hurt because of me. I know it's not smart to have a lover in a war, but I can't help it. I love you and I never want to let you go," he takes a deep breath before sighing sadly. "No, she would never accept that."

Still smiling and blush still burning my face, I sneak behind him and tap his shoulder. I shrink down when he turns his head so he can't see me and run through his legs, growing when I'm in front of him. He turns his head back, confused, and I fling my arms around his shoulders, kissing him on the mouth. He tenses for a few seconds before relaxing and wrapping his arms around me, kissing me back. When we break the kiss, I see him blushing and know that my face is even redder.

'What makes you think I would never accept that?' I ask jokingly. He smiles and lowers his head so we're touching foreheads. 'I've loved you for so long Sheik, from when I first saw you, but I didn't know what the emotion was. My mind wasn't processing it properly. But through all the clues and hint, I realized it just before Ghirahim took you. I'm sorry it took so long Sheik, but I love you.'

"Don't be sorry, I never blamed you," he kisses the top of my head and hugs me tighter. I sink into his embrace and take in his sent, feeling my legs become week with relief and happiness. "I love you so, so much." I squeeze him, burring my face into his chest. I can stay this way forever.

-Third POV-

Off in the distance, Nura, Adam and Alex stand, watching on as the two lovers finally confess to each other. "About time," Nura says, laughing and smiling. Adam nods, putting an arm around her. Alex merely looks on, arms crossed and stony-faced, but inside he was happy for the Mute and Sheikah. They deserved to be happy after all they've been through.

Gery: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Except if there are some rotten lemons that taste of Writer's Block and the Worst Time to Have Wireless Internet Not Working. Ugh. Seriously, though, the last few months Writer's Block has been sticking with me like pants and the _one day_ I break through it, my internet stops working and I can't post the chapter without having to go downstairs and connect my laptop to the internet cable. Life: It gave me rotten lemons. Still, hope you enjoyed the chapter! It may have taken so long, but it was fun to write. Except for Avira dying. That sucked. Sorry Mihang! That's just the way being a Sage works in my Head-Cannon. But Link finally learned what she was feeling and Sheik told her! Oh, happy day! *confetti* I think that sorta, kinda makes up for the super late update. See ya!


	27. Chapter 23

To Mihang: *laugh* Uh, thanks. I'm happy you like it ^_^ Thanks for understanding. Hehe, good to know you're happy. I'm goin'. Wow, that's a coincidence and a half, but very funny. I KNOW RIGHT? Denial and unsureness, that's what took so long. Oh you know it -_^

To alfred pierce: Yay! Yeah, I wasn't happy about that, but it had to be done, sad as it is. I thought it was about time. Thanks. I'll be sure to look more carefully while editing next time. You'll see. Yep, it did. Thank you *laugh*

To alemery: Don't worry, they won't become saps.

To LOZ-fangirl: Yay!

To TheZeldaGmer: I do too ^_^

To Lady Fai: Yay! Oh, I know. The Sages are never really secretive. The only Sage who you don't know in OoT is Nabooru and it's always obvious who will be what Sage. I think the only Sage who no one expected was Naoko, but that may be because he showed up so late.

Gery: I liiiiiiive!

Alex: Took you long enough

Gery: Shut up, this isn't easy

Alex: Looks simple enough

Gery: Really? Because I would love to see what you can come up with if I stick you to a computer seat

Alex: I'd hit you before you did that

Nura: And I'll hit both of you if you don't stop arguing. Gery doesn't own Legend of Zelda, Avira or Gale, she owns only the plot and her own OCs.

Gery: Enjoy!

Adam: Finally!

Chapter 23: Looming Shadows

I wake up feeling warm and, quite frankly, well rested. I can't even remember the last time I fell asleep and didn't wake up to a nightmare or being poisoned. It's a nice change of things. But why am I so warm? Why do I feel at peace? I hear soft breathing and open my eyes, finding arms wrapped around me protectively. I turn my head and blush deeply when I see Sheik's face close to mine.

The memory of last night rushes back with full-force and I smile. Oh yeah, we confessed to each other. So now we're officially lovers. I giggle with giddiness, snuggling into him further. The butterflies swarm my stomach and my head feels light with glee. None of this is bad, though. I'm so happy. Now more than ever do I wish I could talk, I would sing!

"Heh, good morning, Shorty," I smile and move into him more as he wakes up.

'Morning, Jerk,' I yawn.

"Have a good sleep?"

'First time in a while,' I smile and Sheik sits up, bringing me with him. He leans on the tree we're under and sits me in his lap, but I don't mind at all. Honestly I like it. 'It's felt like years since I last slept so peacefully.'

"Understandable. So, are you happy that your quest is complete?"

'Oh yeah. All we have to do is get back to the Castle and tell Zelda that everything's done. I hope we don't end up in a war.'

Sheik sighs, putting his head on my shoulder. "You know there's a very little chance there won't be."

'I know, I just don't want it to happen.'

"No war is good. Both sides loose lives and so many people get hurt. Promise me you won't do anything reckless," he turns me and lifts up my head, looking me in the eye.

'I'll try, but I can't promise that. If something happens so quickly and I'm not reckless, we might loose someone important.'

"We might loose you. Don't do anything recklessly unless it's needed. Okay?"

'Okay. If you don't do anything reckless either.'

He smirks. "Deal," he kisses my forehead. "Let's go get ready. We'll probably leave soon."

-Later-

Gale stands in front of us, smiling. "I can't thank you guys enough. Now that we know the giant never really existed, we can start preparing."

"For what?" Adam asks.

"For helping you. We might not be very experienced with fighting, but we'll train up the people who can fight well to help you guys. Be careful going back to New Hyrule, you may have found all the Sages, but that doesn't mean everything's peaceful. There might be an ambush or something waiting for you."

"We'll be on the lookout," Nura says and we head off when Gale stops me.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you guys. And I'm sorry I lied. I thought I could leave this place earlier if I helped you. Some good that did," he mutters. I smile, accepting his apology, and wave before running after the others.

I glance at Vaati as we walk through the swamp. He's only been away from Hyrule Castle a few days and already he's a lot calmer and almost back to his old self. I hope the hawk got to Zelda, that way she can start preparing to look for whoever's sapping magic. Hopefully she isn't getting affected, she might not be a Mage, but she certainly has strong magic.

For some reason, I have a sudden sense of foreboding. I look around, but nothing seems out of ordinary, I don't even have the feeling of being watched. How weird.

We come to Lake Hylia around midday, just in time for the sun to break through the mist we found ourselves in for the last hour. We swim across the lake and I swear I spot a shadow run behind the ruined building, but when we walk passed it, I don't see or hear anything. Could just be a Poe or something, I guess.

By the time we make it to the dead field, the clouds are gone and dusk slowly starts to fall. But somehow, this once beautiful land is still dead and lifeless even in the waking of night.

Trying to ignore the sadness, I'm walking up a hill, a little ahead of the others, when I get to the top and freeze, my eyes widening at what I see. "What's wrong Lin-" Sheik cuts himself off when he sees what I do. Hundreds upon hundreds of demons camp out, fires burning near tents and catapults not far from the camp. All of them have armour and weapons, and I spot a few Mythical Monsters among them, like Harpies, Orcs and Gryphons. A shiver goes down my spine, this isn't good.

"Oh no," Adam voices our thoughts when he and the others catch up. "That's a big army."

"Much bigger than what we have," Alex says as he hide behind a bolder. I peek around the bolder to get a better look at the army and spot a certain Demon Lord sitting on top of a grey horse, looking over his army. He looks to the east and I follow his gaze to see he's looking at the entrance to the Lost Woods. I gulp. I'm not worried for the Kokiri, they can easily hide in the forest, but what about Ordon? Will they attack it? It's not far from the Lost Woods, and it will only take a few Gryphons to hurt everyone. I need to sneak passed the army and get to Ordon before them, I'm not loosing the people I consider family.

"How are we going to deal with this?" Adam asks.

"We can't fight them, that would be suicide," Vaati says. "We'll have to get by them somehow or wait until they leave."

"But they're going to our Hyrule, and we might not make it to Hyrule Castle in time. We need to get by them," Nura says.

Looking back at the army, I see that the way to the Forest is being blocked by two Orcs. As much as I want to, we can't go until the morning. But I will. When everyone's asleep, I'll sneak off and warn Ordon. There's no way I'll let them get hurt.

"We'll go back a bit and set up a camp, without a fire. We don't want their attention," Vaati says and we go to the old ranch. As we set up a place to rest, I walk around the ranch, humming to myself and trying to think of a plan. Would they mistake me as a Wolfos? No, of course not. I'm way to small to be mistaken for that and Ghirahim knows what I look like. I don't want to risk shrinking, that's for sure. Hmm, maybe I can call for Rocky? No, he's so big that he would give us away. What to do, what to do.

"You're planning something stupid, aren't you?" Midna asks, making me jump. I forgot she was here for a moment. She comes out of my shadow and puts a hand on her hip, giving me a 'you're an idiot' look.

'Yep, but I need to get to Ordon before they do. The village doesn't stand a chance,' I think, not denying it.

"You'll need help."

'You will?'

"Of course, moron. Somebody has to stay with you to save your hide," she rolls her eyes.

'Thanks. I didn't want to go alone,' I look at the entrance of the ranch, seeing the smoke from the army rising above the walls.

"Alas, you want help. Took long enough," Midna says.

'I prefer to do things on my own, but I know I can't get by them without help.'

"Mature. For once. Alright, I'm ready when you are," she jumps back into my shadow and I head back to the farm building, finding Vaati and Shadow arguing.

"I can sneak by those guys easily! Or did you forget about my namesake?" Shadow asks.

"Don't be stupid, do you think the Demons won't notice a moving shadow? They're not idiots like you. They can enter the Dark World just as easily as you can," Vaati says calmly, arms crossed.

"You're no fun."

"There's no fun in war."

So Shadow wants to go ahead too. But why? What's he got to gain from it? Ugh, I won't even bother.

I sit down on some hay, thinking about how I can get out without anyone noticing. They'll all try to stop me, so I'll need to be careful when they're asleep. No doubt one of them will almost wake and catch me. I'll transform into a wolf to leave, since I'm quieter that way, then Midna can help me turn back. We can sneak to the bolder we were behind earlier and try and find the best route around the army. That's when things get tricky. Those Orcs probably won't rest all night, so there's a slight chance they will be slow to response and not realize anything. I don't want to risk the alternative, so I might have to disguise myself as something to get through. But what? I can't hide as a Harpy, I don't have wings at all, no way can I be an Orc or Troll. Maybe I could hide as a Demon? But how would be the question. I don't have anything that can help me look like a Demon. Oni's Mask is close, but I don't think he'd like getting called just so I can sneak by the army.

Could I hide in one of their waggons? No, definitely not. I don't want to be found. Hiding as something might be my best bet. I just need to figure out what I'll be.

I jump suddenly when someone pokes my side and I look up, smiling at Sheik as he sits beside me. "What are you planning?" he deadpans.

'I'm not planning anything,' I think, but he rolls his eyes.

"You are a horrible liar, remember?" he looks at the others before speaking through telepathy. 'You're planning to sneak passed the army to get to Ordon, aren't you?'

'Is it that obvious?' I ask nervously, looking at my friends as, one-by-one, they fall asleep.

'Maybe. But rest a bit now, you'll need as much sleep as you can get,' he tells me, putting an arm around my shoulders and kissing my cheek. I feel my face turn a warm and snuggle into him, letting out a sigh as his arms wrap around me. I want to save Ordon so badly, but I know Sheik won't let me go.

It feels like I only close my eyes for a moment when I feel a hand shake me slightly. I open my eyes and yawn, looking around to see Sheik crouching, a smirk in his eyes. 'Ready?'

'Fo' 'at?' I mind-mumble, blinking. He chuckles and runs a hand through my hair.

'You didn't think I would let you go without me, did you? I don't want you to get hurt, so I'll come with you and Midna to help,' I grin as he helps me up. I give him a hug and we sneak around the others, careful not to wake them.

We hide behind the bolder and look around it, looking over the camp and seeing many Demons and Mythical Monsters roaming around on patrol. Like I thought, the Orcs are still awake. How do we get by?

'Any ideas?' Sheik asks.

'Well, I thought about a disguise of some sort,' I think. 'A Demon would be best, but how we'll pull it off is the question.'

"Besides, I'm sure they'd see right through it," Midna says.

'Could you warp us?' I ask.

"No, not with Sheik."

"Sorry to be a bother," he jokes, looking over the camp more. "Wait, I just remembered, I know a spell that can turn us invisible."

'Really?' my ears perk up.

"Yes, but it's tricky. I haven't even perfected it yet, I can only be invisible for fifteen minutes and it's been about five months since I last turned invisible. I actually forgot about until now."

'Perfect! We can just sneak passed them!' I grin.

"Hmm, it will be hard with three of us," he says thoughtfully. "It's hard enough on my own. I don't even think I can manage it..."

"I'll warp ahead and wait in Faron Woods," Midna says, coming out and crouching behind the bolder. "That way you'll only have to worry about yourself and Link."

"Sounds good. We'll see you there," Sheik nods and Midna vanishes into Twilight Particles.

'Can you really make us invisible?' I ask. He nods and holds out his hand. I take it and he closes his eyes.

"Don't forget, we're still solid, so be careful," he warns and I close my eyes when I feel my skin itch. The itch starts at my fingertips and goes up my arm, into my shoulder, to my other shoulder, over my head and to my feet. I try not to run off, knowing Sheik won't hurt me, but I don't like this at all. The itch stops suddenly, but I can feel goosebumps on my arms and shiver violently. I open my eyes and gasp, not seeing Sheik or myself. 'It's okay, I'm right here,' I'm still holding his hand and he tugs, starting to walk. I trot after him and look down, it's so weird not seeing my body. 'Don't let go of my hand, or the spell will wear off on you and you'll be spotted,' Sheik thinks and I tighten my hold on his hand. My heart's pounding as we come to the edge of the camp.

As cautiously as we can, we go around the army, sneaking by a group of Harpies. Can they see us? I bump into Sheik when he stops suddenly and I feel his arms wrap around me, pulling me back. 'I think they might smell us,' he thinks and backs up when one of the hybrids looks our way. She walks over like a Keese and I grip Sheik's arms as we get stopped by a tree. The Harpy comes closer and I lean my head back into Sheik's chest, closing my eyes as the Harpy sniffs us. What if she tries to pull us apart? Our cover will be blown.

I smell the Harpy's breath and can picture her mouth opening, when I'm suddenly lifted off my feet. I suppress a scream when I open my eyes, it looks like I'm floating, but I feel my arms around Sheik's shoulders. 'You couldn't warn me?' I ask, flicking the back of his head.

'Wasn't time,' I hear the chuckle in his head, which makes me glare at him. What little help that does. He runs around the camp, much faster than before, and I look back to see the Harpy looking around, confused. Ha.

I look forward and see we're coming close to the Orcs when Sheik stops and, holding my tunic by my shoulder, puts me down and we sneak to the Orcs. This is where we spot a problem. There's no space to get by the Orcs without us touching them. 'You've gotta be kidding, we're so close!' I mind-groan.

'It'll be fine. I can teleport us behind them. We'll have to, the spell will wear off soon,' he tells me and we move forward. I imagine Sheik closing his eyes and a green vortex surrounds us, lifting us off our feet and making us vanish. We land on the other side of the Orcs and I fall over, running my hands down my face. That was horrible. 'Oh no, Link, you're visible!' I look down and find that I had let Sheik go when I fell, and I'm visible once again. Crap. I look behind me and see the Orcs sniffing the air, they haven't caught our sent, have they?

I scramble to my feet and walk backwards, keeping an eye on the Orcs as Sheik grabs my hand and helps me move. He's still invisible, but I can see an outline of him. The spell's wearing off. The Orcs suddenly turn and Sheik and I freeze, hoping that they won't notice us if we're not moving. One of the Orcs, which is smaller, stands straighter and lifts its club up, roaring at us.

"Not good, run!" Sheik hisses and we sprint to the forest, hearing the roaring grow louder and shouts following shortly after. So much for us sneaking by. I don't dare look back as we run across the bridge and to the Lower Lost Woods, where we'll be safe to hide, hopefully. We just make it into the forest when Sheik's spell wears off and we run faster as howls and war cries follow us. We come to a small clearing but find we're at a dead end. We turn to find four Wolfos, five Harpies and two Demons standing there, cornering us.

"You humans are so foolish," one of the Demons says as an Orc steps out from the trees, grunting. "Thinking you can sneak by us. We live in the night, there's no way you can fight us. Now, hand over the Hylian," Sheik moves in front of me, much to my annoyance. "Don't be difficult. Our Lord wants it."

'I'm not an it!' I mind-yell, looking around Sheik glaring at them.

'Link, I'm going to fight them. When I tell you to run, run,' Sheik tells me, taking out his throwing knives.

'I'm not leaving you,' I think, going for my sword and shield.

'You need to get to Ordon, I'll catch up when I can. Just make sure you get out. Turn into a wolf if you have to, just run,' he readies himself as an Orc steps out from behind the trees.

'Sheik-'

'Now!' he yells and throws the knives at the Harpies, sending two to the ground. I pause for a moment before sprinting into the trees. I run until I get far enough to not see them when I stop, hating myself. Why did I run?! I need to help Sheik! I turn to run back, when I see the Orc and three of the Wolfos running at me. With no choice, I run further into the forest, mentally punching myself.

When I see a ten-meter wide hole, I get an idea. A crazy idea, but an idea nonetheless. I run as fast as I can at the hole when I hit the back of my neck, turning into a wolf and leaping over the hole. I land on the other side clumsily and look back at my pursuers, seeing two of the Wolfos fall into the hole. The last one jumps over it, causing me to run again, and the Orc jumps it easily. At least I narrowed down the numbers.

"Get back here, runt!" the Wolfos barks, making me run faster. Then, the Wolfos falls silent. I skid to a stop and turn, finding that the Wolfos is gone. What in Din's Hell? I hear a bark and jump out of the way when the Wolfos jumps at me, trying to pin me. We growl, circling each other, and the Wolfos makes the first move. It snaps forward, but I move back before retaliating and biting its paw. It bites my muzzle, making me let go, and slashes at me, catching the side of my face. I ignore the cut and jump at it, knocking it over. I bite its neck, making it howl in pain, and it rolls over, pinning me instead. In snaps and bites my neck as I scratch its stomach and chest. It tears a bit of my ear off and I clamp my teeth around its paw, tasting blood. I try to ignore the taste and bite down harder, when the Orc comes along and smacks the Wolfos away with its club, killing it instantly. It swings its club down at me, but I roll away and run between its legs, pivoting and biting its ankle.

It kicks back, hitting me back, and turns, slamming its club down. Luckily I move out of the way before it crushes my head. I know I can't take this on, so I run back the way I came, heading to the hole. I don't have the strength to jump it on my own, but I spot a vine hanging over it and smirk. I leap for it and grab it with my teeth, swinging myself over to the other side and landing harshly on my rear. I shake my head and look back, seeing the Orc coming. It charges forward and I get ready, but it forgets about the hole and falls down, causing the ground to shake when it hits the bottom. Panting, I let out a sigh when I hear a shout of pain. Sheik!

Wasting no time, I run through the trees, following the cries and shouts back to the clearing. I jump out of the bushes and see Sheik managed to take down the Demons and all but two of the Harpies, which are giving him trouble. One of the Harpies hits him down with fire and raises its claws to finish him off, but I run at it and jump, grabbing its wing and forcing it away from him. I leap onto the Harpy before it can get up and I snap at its neck as it burns me, but I finally get a good grip on its neck and turn my head sharply, snapping its neck quickly. I jump off of it and see the last Harpy slash Sheik's side as he tries to get up.

Growling, I grab the Harpy's leg and pull it back, making it screech in surprise. With all my strength, I toss it through the air into a tree. It picks itself up and flies at me as I run at it. It flies up, thinking out of my reach, and I jump up after it, snapping at its foot, but it pulls away just in time. I land on my paws as it flies higher up and I crouch low before jumping as high as I can and grabbing the same leg as before. It screeches in surprise, pain and rage and flails, trying to get me off as it flies higher. I try not to think of what will happen if I let go and bite down harder, causing it to screech louder.

Then it turns out to be smart by jabbing me in the eye and I let go. I fall and feel my heart pound as water rushes at me. This is gunna hurt. I smack into the water and gasp as I surface, shaking my head as my fur goes into my eyes. I swim to shore and gasp, looking up to see the Harpy flying back to the camp. We'll need to go soon, unless we want a whole horde after us. I go back to Sheik and push my head into his back. 'Sheik, come on, get up,' I let out a whine when he doesn't respond. 'They'll be back soon, we need to go,' I push him again, but he's out cold.

I go over to a low branch and hit the back of my neck on it, turning back to human. I run over to Sheik and shake him, but he's still out. I look around, there isn't much time, but what can I do? I weigh my options, biting my lip. There's only one thing I can do.

With a lot of struggle, I pick Sheik up and get him on my back, stumbling a bit when I fully get to my feet. Already panting, and covered in injuries, I walk back, retracing our steps to try and find a way to the Upper Lost Woods. I find where we went wrong after what seems like hours. Every now and then I try to rouse Sheik, but nothing happens. As clouds move in and hide the little bit of moonlight, I grow more grateful for my Twilight Sight and keep walking, never stopping in fear that we'll be found or I won't be able to go on.

Eventually, I find the large clearing where the overgrown trees and vines create the floor for the Upper Lost Woods. Now to get up. I walk under the hole and, somehow, I find myself out of the Lower Lost Woods, standing in front of the hole with Sheik still on my back. Weird.

Deciding not to think about it, I turn and head to the exit of the forest, feeling my legs starting to get weak and shaky. I stop walking when I almost fall over, and I lean on a tree to try and stay on my feet, panting loudly. I can't go on for much longer, not when I'm this weak. I don't even know how I got this far.

I look around, it's still dark and I don't want to stay still too long, in case we get found. I'll have to keep going, just until I get to Ordon, then I can collapse. Sucking up my breath, I push off the tree to stand and continue walking, thinking of nothing as I walk.

Hours pass, and the only time I realize where I am is when I see the purple mist still covering Faron Woods. I can't get my lantern out, so I do the only thing I can. I hold my breath and march through the mist, doing my best not the inhale the toxic air. Near the end, I take a small breath and feel the effects right away. I cough and gasp, knowing I need water, but I keep going. Ordon needs to know...

My mind slowly becomes sluggish, and my vision blurs. My legs wobble uncontrollably and I stumble all over, hitting the sides of the tunnel to Faron's Spring and getting more injuries. I know I should stop, I know I should get water and a potion to stop the problem, but I can't. It will be day in a few hours, and the army will leave early. I know they will. I reach Faron's Spring when I find Midna, but I only see the shadow of her. "What happened?"

I buck up and shake my head, acting as if it's just wiriness. I blink and straighten. 'We had a bit of trouble on our way out, Sheik fell unconscious and I carried him. We'll get to Ordon soon, so I'll be fine,' I tell her, starting to walk up th hill. She rolls her eyes, from what I can see through my blurry vision, and goes into my shadow, knowing I won't let her help.

It doesn't take long to get to Ordon and I let out a sigh as my legs buckle, and everything fades.

-Later, Sheik's POV-

I wake and let my mind process what happened before I sit up quickly, ignoring my pounding head. I look around to find I'm in a small, wooden house and spot Link sleeping in a bed and I'm on a couch. "Good, you're awake," I look at who spoke and see a girl with hair shorter than Link's and green eyes. "It came as a huge surprise when I found you and Link collapsed just outside Ordon. But at least you're both safe. I had to give her a lot of potions to heal."

"Where am I?" I ask, rubbing my forehead.

"You're in Link's house. Well, her old house anyway. She lived here before going to the Castle. I'm Ilia, we're basically sisters."

"Link mentioned you before, she said the same thing," I say.

"You can hear her too? Good, she needs more people to talk to. There's only so much I can get through charades," Ilia smiles. "I hope she'll be okay, she tends to push herself when it comes to the people she cares about."

"I know. How did we get here?"

"Link carried you," Midna says from the corner, making me jump. "She was half-awake on her feet too. How she managed it I have no idea. I blame her stubbornness."

I look outside, finding that it's still dark outside. "What time is it?"

"It will be dark for about an hour or so still," Ilia says. "Why? You sound panicked."

"There _is_ a reason we're here," Midna says. "There's an army on its way to Hyrule. We got stuck on the wrong side of them while coming back and Link wanted to come and warn Ordon in case they came here, so you could get help. Now that I think about it, it was probably smart we did. I can go to the Castle and warn Zelda about the army. Tell Link to rest as much as she can, war's coming," she vanishes and I let out a sigh.

"So the rumours are true, Hyrule is going to war," Ilia sighs sadly, looking at Link. "I hope she'll be okay. She might be older, but she doesn't always act like it."

"She's innocent, which is hard to be for someone her age," I sit up straighter.

"I know. She always has been like that. Despite her trials. It's because of that that I don't want to see her in war, she might not like seeing all the death."

"She won't. She hates killing."

"...She always goes out of her way to save others, she even does things she hates if it means to save a life. She's been so close to death so many times, the closest she got was when the famine went through a few years ago."

"I remember that, the City really suffered," I grimace. Those three years were horrible.

"Link was thirteen and I was twelve when the famine hit. Ordon was hit hard, too, our crops failed and so many of our goats died of illnesses. We could barely scrape by with the little people who live here. Most of the food went to the young kids, then Link and I would get food, then the adults. No one knew this during the time, but Link would sneak her portions to the kids when they weren't looking, so they could eat more. We didn't notice anything wrong about her at first, she had always been small and skinny after all, and we were all suffering because of it. I first noticed something wrong when she would slow down and pant whenever we ran around a bit, she would double over and gasp for air. Whenever I asked her if anything was wrong, she'd shake her head and smile, passing it off and would continue running, only to have trouble breathing again a few minutes later. One day, she just collapsed. She was getting water for the last few surviving goats, when she fainted. We didn't realize where she was until it got dark. Rusl and I went out to find her, and I saw her laying there, motionless. I panicked and rushed over to her, picking her up, and was surprised about how light she was. I took her to Rusl's and Uli and I were changing her when we saw what she looked like. She was a walking skeleton. She was eating just enough to get her by for almost an entire year, but she was starving herself to feed the kids. She got so sick after fainting, her fever was high and she was so pale. I sat with her the entire time, feeling guilty. Why hadn't I noticed earlier? Why didn't I give some of my portions to the kids? The guilt hurt more every day as Link lay in bed, slowly getting worse and worse. We fed her as much as we could, but it didn't do much. We didn't want to risk giving her potion, it never works on an empty stomach. One day, when I was sitting by her and watching her, she opened her eyes. It was a week after she collapsed and her eyes were so dull, so lifeless. It was hard seeing her like that. She saw me and smiled, her usual, casual smile that told me everything would be alright. I didn't know if I should believe it. I couldn't look her in the eye, I was still guilty. She held my hand, making me look up at her. She just smiled, and I smiled back. Her eyes had a shine to them, like usual. Somehow, I knew she'd be alright, even though she was so close to dieing. Two weeks later, she was walking again and was slowly recovering. I made sure she ate her share, and stopped her from giving it to the kids."

I shake my head, looking at Link. "She's so reckless. When will she learn that others care about her?"

"She knows, she just doesn't want anyone to get hurt. I understand what you mean, and I wish she would let others help her," Ilia looks down at her hands. "Sheik, don't tell this to Link at all, but I'm going to the Castle. I'm going to hide as a guard and help take care of her. She's helped me so much, I need to repay her. I'll come with you to the Castle, saying I'm just visiting Rusl, he's been there a lot lately with the threat of war, and I'll go talk to Zelda. We might not be close, but I need to tell her my plan."

"It will be hard, and dangerous. You won't be able to talk to Link, or guess what she's saying. She'll know it's you," I tell her.

"Link's entire life is dangerous, and I can live with that. I need to keep an eye on her, my sister needs me now more than ever," she says. I can tell that she has the same Ordonian stubbornness as Link, and nothing I say will make her change her mind.

"Be careful. She'll hate herself if anything happens to you," I warn.

"I'm aware and ready for whatever's to come. The only reason I haven't helped Link so far with this is because..." she pauses, faltering for a moment. She looks torn between telling me and keeping whatever it is secret. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to say. Understand? I'm not even supposed to tell you."

"You have my word."

"...Colin's sick. He's been sick for a while, and he hasn't gotten any better. Potions aren't helping at all. We don't know how he got sick, but we assume he got an infection of some sort. I went to Hyrule to tell this to Link, but then I found out she was going on another adventure. I couldn't have told her, she would have come here without a second thought."

I look down, Link told me about Colin the night she was getting over being sick from magic. He's like a little brother to Link.

Wait a second, I still have Rosyn Berries! I pull out the jar they're in, smiling slightly. "Here," I get up and put the jar on the table. "These are Rosyn Berries, they'll cure anything. Give them to Colin and I'm positive they'll help."

Ilia tentatively takes the jar. "Are you sure this will cure him?"

"Yes. They can cure anything. They only grow in the desert, so you wouldn't find them here. I'll look after Link," I assure her and she smiles.

"Thanks Sheik!" she runs out of the house and I shake my head. I walk over to Link's bed and sit beside her, running my hand over her head. She shifts a bit before opening her eyes slowly, her gaze is hazy.

"Hey, are you okay? You did a lot yesterday."

'I'm fine. Just a little tired. Are you alright?'

"Thanks to you. Carrying me all this way was probably really hard."

'Yeah, you're kinda heavy.'

"Not to mention you're kind of small."

'That too,' she looks around as she sits up. I help her and she smiles gratefully. 'Thanks. It's strange being back home. But it's nice. Was Ilia here?'

"Yes, she's gone to tell Rusl about the army."

_And cure Colin_, I think to myself.

She lets out a sigh of relief. 'Good. I hope the others won't be too mad,' she looks out the window, biting her lip.

"I'm sure they understand. I just hope that they haven't been found by the army." Her eyes widen, guess she hadn't thought of that.

'Oh no, what if they try to look for us but they are found by the army? It'll be my fault!' she thinks.

"Don't go doing anything stupid," I say, taking her hand. "And it's not your fault, okay? I left a note for them before we left, they know where we are."

She lets out a breath. 'We'll need to get to the Castle soon, we don't want to be caught behind the army.'

"Yeah, we'll go when the sun comes up," I tell her when Ilia comes back.

"You're awake," she smiles. "Good, I was starting to get worried. So you'll leave soon?"

"Yes, it would be best if we got to the Castle quickly."

"Okay, can I come with you? I want to visit Rusl and tell him something," Ilia says.

Link blinks curiously, making Ilia smile. "One of the horses had a stomach problem or infection, but they're healed up now." I'm guessing she means Colin.

Link nods 'okay' and lies back down to rest a bit. "Sheik, can you go and get some water?"

I shrug. "Sure."

-Link's POV-

When Sheik leaves, Ilia looks at me, a knowing look in her eyes. "Have you told each other yet?" I nod, laughing. "Took long enough. It's obvious that you like each other." I know, I know, I was an idiot. "Don't think of yourself as stupid. It was the first time you felt that type of love. I'm happy for you though, you deserve it after all you've done." I flush, I don't really. "Will you be okay during the war?" she asks, hesitant.

I shrug. I really have no idea. The army was scary, but I think I have yet to see the worst. All I can hope is that we win. If we don't, Hyrule will fall, and become just like the Old Hyrule, barren and lifeless. That can't happen. I won't let it happen. That land had been beautiful before it was taken over, it can't happen again.

"I wish you the best of luck." I smile and sit up again, only to get hugged by my 'sister'. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

I nod and we part the hug. Sheik comes back with a water bucket and puts it on the table. "Here's the water you wanted," he says.

"Thanks," Ilia takes it and dumps it over my head, making me cough and sputter. "That's for pushing yourself. I'll see you later." She leaves, looking satisfied at soaking me.

'I was wondering why she wanted water,' I think, taking my hat off and wringing it out.

Sheik smirks. "I would have done that too. You can't always be helping others. You could have stopped and waited for me to wake up."

'But then we would have been caught, and it would have been pointless to get here. Besides, I wasn't sure how much time I had, I just assumed that time was running out. I'd have hate it if we waited and came here to find Ordon ruined.'

"I admit that your idea was reckless, but it's for the best. Plus the news will be passed to Zelda before the army shows up. When do you want to leave for the Castle?"

'We should go an hour or so after the sun comes up. Ilia will have a fit if she sees I'm walking so soon despite having little rest.'

"That I can understand. Alright, get some rest, I'm going to look out for any signs of the army," he says and kisses my cheek, making me blush a bit. "Rest tight."

'Yeah...' I shake my head out of the daze. 'Be safe.' He nods and leaves again. With nothing else to distract me, I lie down for some rest.

I half expect to wake up to screaming, but when I wake next, I only hear birds chirping, which I'm happy about. Sunlight shines through my window and I yawn as I sit up, stretching and scratching my head. I look around my house to find neither Sheik or Ilia are back, but shrug it off and stand, wanting to move around a bit. I walk over to my clothes chest and shake my head to myself when I see my old clothes. The Ordonian outfit didn't feel right to wear after the Twilight, but maybe I should try them on again, just to see if anything has changed.

I look at myself through the mirror, hardly recognizing myself. I don't feel as out-of-place as I had several months ago, but I still don't feel the same I once did. These clothes made me feel so happy, like I was a real part of the village even with my differences. But now, it's an even clearer reminder of how much my life has changed in only a year.

"Hey, Link, you awake...Link?" I see Sheik's reflection through the mirror and give him a small smile.

'It took a few seconds to figure out it was me, didn't it?' I ask. I watch him walk over and he wraps his arms around me, putting his head on mine. My face heats up a little, I'm not yet used to this, but I like it.

"No, but I was surprised, that's for sure," he smirks. "I think a tunic suits you more."

'A year ago I thought tunics were stupid, then I was forced to wear one. I didn't like it until I got to Hyrule Castle Town, since I was used to it at that point. I almost forgot how I looked in my Ordonian clothes. Now I can only remember when I have them on.'

"A year ago you were still a goat herder," he points out with a chuckle. I roll my eyes.

'And a year ago you didn't know I was alive.'

"Touché."

'Do you think we can win this war?' I ask suddenly.

"I know we can. We can't afford any doubt, Link. Doubt will ruin Hyrule."

'Not if those Demons ruin it first. Sheik, what if Ghirahim does something to make it so I join them?'

"Like what?"

'I dunno, like force me to hurt a friend or something.'

"I'm sure you'll know what to do. You're a quick thinker, you do well under pressure."

'Most of the time. Sometimes I get too nervous.'

"Everyone does. Come on, we should get going. Do you want to see anyone from the village?"

'I would like to, but...'

"But?"

'But what if we stay too long? The kids will want me to stay the night, and we need to get to the Castle. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say 'no' to them? They don't listen.'

"I guess you're right. Okay then, get ready. I'll tell Ilia that we're going, they deserve to know you at least came."

'Okay,' I nod and he lets go. It doesn't take long to get ready, so I go out and call for Epona, rubbing her nose when she gallops up to me. I don't see Sheik yet, so I tack up her saddle. I may need the extra grip if I fight on her. I hope I don't have to, fighting King Bulbin and Ganny on her back was hard, and she got a few injuries too. Not that I let Ilia find out, she'd have my head.

"'Ello, Hero," I jump at the voice and look up, seeing Majora sitting on one of the branches of a tree. "Been a while. Put that sword away," she says, but I don't sheath the Master Sword. "I'm only here to deliver a message," she throws a dead bird at me and I realize it's the hawk I had sent to Zelda days ago. The note it has is the one I tried to send. "Too bad your Princess doesn't know about the one sapping magic, because the culprit is sapping hers," I snap my head up and glare at Majora, but the Demigoddess only laughs shrilly. "She'll be weak as a baby soon enough, and with that traitor Twili there, her magic will be sapped too. Isn't life just grand?"

I growl at her, wanting nothing more than to slice her head off. She just laughs again, standing. "Well, my current job is done. Sweet travels. Not like you'll make it to the Castle before the army, they're already passed this village." My eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, honestly, you didn't think Ghirahim would leave out any chances, did you? He knew perfectly well that you were sneaking by the camp to get to here, which is why he bypassed the village completely. Not like there's anything here, so you didn't have to worry about this pathetic place at all. Hope you feel proud of yourself," she vanishes before I can pull out my bow.

I curse loudly in my head, as if wanting her to hear how I feel about her. I lay the hawk down behind the tree, teeth gritted. How could I have been so stupid? I should have realized it would be obvious that I came here. And why would Ghirahim have anything to do with this place? I clench my fists before running into my house. I grab my weapons and tunic, toss my hat on my head, write a note to Sheik telling him where I'm going, and leave, jumping onto Epona's back. She takes off at once, sensing something wrong.

We get to Hyrule Field when I pull Epona to a stop. I guide her behind a willow and dismount, looking around the trunk. Good thing we stopped, the army is ahead of us. They're slowly moving along, pushing and pulling tall towers on wheels. What could they be for? Ghirahim is at the front, sitting high on his horse. He's looking around, probably to find anyone who could be a problem. How will I get passed them? They're taking the shortest route to the Castle, I'll have to go through Kakariko and over Eldin's Bridge. I mount Epona and we take off again, faster than before.

It's midday by the time we get to Kakariko, and I fear that I'm too late. The village is still abandoned from when Rocky was spotted above Death Mountain and it reminds me of a ghost town. I push the thoughts aside and slow Epona by the Spring so she can get a drink. I dismount and sit on a rock, my leg bounces as I look at the other end of Kakariko. Please don't let me be late, please let the army be held back by something.

Epona nudges my back suddenly, pushing me off the rock before she grabs the back of my shirt in her teeth and pulls me back behind the dome building. I rub my butt as I look up at Epona, confused. She paws the ground nervously, tossing her head as she fights the instinct to run. From what, I'm not sure. I crawl to the edge of the dome and look around, pulling back so only half my face is showing. Three Moblins and a large stone creature enter the village, the Moblins with spears and shields and the stone thing without a weapon. Not like it needs them, it has clubs for hands.

I crab-crawl away from the edge and look at Epona, who's looking at the other end of the village nervously. I'm not sure if we can, or should, make a break for it. I chance looking around the dome again and find one of the Moblins sniffing the air and turn its beady eyes in our direction. I pull back and stand, pulling out my bow as I wave for Epona to run to the Graveyard. But she stays and tosses her head. I smile and peek a look. The Moblins are coming while the stone creature stays back.

I don't know if I can take them. I'm not even sure how strong that stone creature is or what it is for that matter. But I can't think about this now, I can't take these guys on, it will slow me down. I'll have to run out with Epona. I mount her and she doesn't even let me settle myself properly before running off, with me half-way on the saddle. I grab her saddle tightly and turn my head to see the Moblins chasing us, the stone creature is staying back. I try to pull myself into the saddle, but I can't manage it. Shoot.

One of the Moblins roars and I gulp, looking over in time to see it throw its spear at us. I let out a short scream and Epona rears up, neighing loudly as the spear stabs several feet into the ground where she just was. I lose my grip on the saddle and start falling, getting stopped short when my foot gets tangled in the straps. Hanging upside-down, I'm suddenly jerked forward as Epona runs for the only way out, being steered by her instinct alone. I frantically try to reach for the saddle, but dust, dirt and rocks fly into my face and eyes, forcing me to close them in a feeble attempt to not get blinded.

I hear a snap and I gasp as I fall, hitting the ground hard and getting the wind knocked out of me. I take in a shaky breath and roll over to my side, wrapping my arms around my middle and opening my eyes to see Epona skid to a stop. She turns and I see three shadows appear in front of me. I gulp, the Moblins are right behind me. Will they get me if I play dead? I'm sure it won't be easy. I look at Epona, wishing for her to run as I hold my breath, she needs to get out of here.

The ground rumbles slightly under the Moblins' footsteps. Bits of rock and dirt fly on me as the trio of pig-like beasts stop. The air is filled with a tense silence as I close my eyes, waiting for them to do something. I hope they leave. I'm running out of time.

I feel a large, fleshy finger poke my back, pushing me over to my stomach and making my arm get stuck under me. "Is it alive?" one asks as the finger continues to poke me.

"Move over, let me see," the poking stops, but fingers wrap around my middle and I'm lifted. My head falls forward as I'm lifted and the Moblin holding me sniffs me gently. I risk taking in small breathes of air, I can't let them suspect anything. "I can't tell. If it is, then too bad, if it isn't, it's a good tricker," the Moblin holding me says. I'm shifted around a bit and peek my eye open to see it pull out a potato sack. You've got to be kidding me. It throws me in and I land in an awkward position on my back, one arm under me, the other stuck between my body and the sack, and my legs sticking up above me with my head being pushed towards my stomach. The smell of mold and musky straw greets me as the top of the sack is closed and I resist gagging, trying my best to breath through my mouth. Ew, I think I can taste it.

"What will we do with it?"

"Isn't it obvious? We take it to that weird human being and see what he'll do with it. He'll know if its alive or not." Please tell me they're not talking abou Ghirahim or Zant.

I hear a sudden sound of metal ripping through flesh and the Moblin holding the sack drops me. I land on the ground harshly, I think I landed on a rock, but remain still, listening to what's going on outside. Rushing footsteps run over the dirt, followed by grunts and thuds. The sides of the sack are seized and I'm lifted up again before the bag opens and I land on my tailbone, cringing and gritting my teeth. 'The Goddesses love laughing at me,' I think dully, shaking my head.

"Of course, it's amusing," I look up to see Midna. She smirks. "You didn't think playing dead would fool me, did you?" she asks, picking me up by my arm and getting me to my feet. I look around to see that the Moblins are running and the rock creature is coming towards us, creating a barrel-sized crater with each step. Midna turns and magic cloaks her hands. "This shouldn't be too hard. Stay back, we don't need you broken," she tells me and teleports behind the rock creature, hitting it with a magically summoned spear. It turns slowly, showing me a dent in its shoulder where the spear hit, and stomps towards Midna, swinging its club down to intimidate her. She's unfazed and sends another magic spear at the creature, knocking its arm off.

I grin, thinking it will be easier now, but the creature lifts the little stub of its arm and rocks fly to it, making the arm bigger than it was before. It continues to bring more boulders towards it and soon it's bigger than the dome and covered in a thick armour of stone. Crap, shit and everything in between.

"Oh, Twili Lord!" Midna swears, teleporting out of the way of its foot. "Why are things never easy?"

'Because life loves screwing with us?' I suggest as I run from a boulder being thrown at me.

The stone creature suddenly grabs Midna and tries to crush her, but I bring out a bomb arrow and shoot, hitting the creature in the eye. It grunts and Midna teleports out of its hand, only to land on me. It's my turn to grunt as I fall forward and I cough when dust flies up into my face. "Thanks for cushioning my fall, Link," Midna says cheekily as she smiles at me. I scowl and push her off, well, try to anyway.

'Never again. And get off me!' She gets off and grabs the back of my shirt, lifting me up to my feet. 'I think we can only kill it with bombs.'

"What gave you that idea?" Midna asks sarcastically.

'Never thought I would ask this, but can you magic me up there?' I ask. She blinks, smirking.

"Finally over it?" a Twilight-like mist covers me as I'm lifted a few inches off the ground.

'Nope,' she teleports me onto the stone creature's head before she can register what I said. I land clumsily on my feet and grab a small crack in the creature's head so I don't fall off. I pull out my bomb bag, but I find I have none left. Oh, come on! Taking a deep breath, I take out the Megaton Hammer. This might not go well. A spear of magic stabs the stone creature in the shoulder and I stumble a bit, looking down. Midna's once again shooting the creature, making it swing at her.

Taking advantage of its distraction, I lift the hammer up and bring it down, causing a large indent to form on the creature's head. It grunts and stops, bringing its club-hand up. I can see where this is going. With a yelp, I jump off its head and land on its shoulder as it brings the club down. It hits itself and gives a long, low grunt of pain as its head caves in. I gasp when a part of the head falls on its shoulder, almost crushing me, and I back up into its head, since it has no neck at all. Big mistake, it finds me and shakes, making me drop the Megaton Hammer to hold onto the broken head. How is it still alive?

One of Midna's spears hits the center of the stone creature's chest, making it fall to one knee, and I notice a small glow in its chest and get an idea of how to kill it. 'Midna, keep hitting its chest!' I mind-yell, leaning forward as if that will make my thoughts louder.

She summons six spears and I pull back when she sends them. They hit the center of the chest, making the hole bigger and the glow shine brighter out of the chest. When she sends her last spear, I slide down the shoulder towards the chest, grabbing a shard on the outside ring of the hole. I take out the staff Zelda gave me and concentrate on my emotions. I feel confident and sure this will work. What will that do?

My question is answered when a gust of icy wind shoots out of the orb on top and enters the glowing hole. The stone creature grunts and brings its club up to hit me, but I let go and it hits its chest. The creature falls apart, sounding like an avalanche. Midna stops my decent by surrounding me with magic and she teleports to the top of the cliffs around Kakariko. She drops me beside her and I sit up, watching the stone creature fall in on itself. I lift my arm to shield my eyes and when the shaking and rumbling stops, I lower my arm, finding the creature gone. Whew.

"That took way too much time. The good news is the army got held back by one of the Harpies going crazy and attacking Ghirahim," Midna says, teleporting us back to the Spring.

'I hope he got an infection,' I mind-mutter as I go to call Epona.

"Come on, we'll Warp," Midna grabs my sleeve and warps us in front of Castle Town. Everything seems...darker about the city. "Zelda is already preparing everything. It's crazy how fast she comes up with plans. You're in charge of making sure she doesn't overload herself," she goes into my shadow as I enter the gates to see a few citizens rushing around. I run to the Castle, not wanting to waste anymore time than I already have, and make it to the Throne Room. I open the door, but Zelda's not here. Maybe she's in her study. I run there, but when I come close, I hear voices coming from inside. I slow down and put my ear to the door to listen.

"-k you, Princess. I look forward to dining with you this evening." That sounds like Pretty Boy, what's he doing back so soon? What about his caravan? The doorknob turns and I hide behind a suit of armour. I have no idea why. I wait until after his footsteps fade before opening the door. Zelda's sitting at her desk, sorting papers and scrolls.

'Hi, Zelly,' I greet. She smiles without looking up.

"Good to see you back. I was worried you got stuck behind the army."

'Almost was. But that doesn't matter. Zelda, a few days ago I sent a hawk to you with some pretty big information. Did you ever get it?'

"No."

'Crap, didn't think so. Apparently, someone has been sapping Vaati's magic since he first arrived here. He was really on edge and was short-tempered when we were going to the Wind Tribe, and Shadow explained that they tried to tell one of us, but something happened or they just couldn't. Then when I was at Ordon, Majora showed up. She killed the hawk and told me that since Vaati's gone at the moment, your magic is going to be sapped, along with Midna's.'

Her quill creates a messy squiggle as she looks up, alarmed. "What?" she asks. All her politeness flies out the window when she swears at my nod. "No wonder I've felt tired the last few days."

Midna comes out, crossing her arms. "So I'm going to be targeted too?"

'That's what Majora said,' I nod. 'I'm not sure who the person is. Shadow thinks its someone inside the Castle.'

"So we've had a traitor here?" Zelda asks.

'Well,' I rub the back of my neck, 'I was thinking it was someone who was never really an ally. Someone who wasn't trusted from the start.'

"You mean Edward," Zelda says bluntly. "Link, I know you don't like him, but you need proof about this."

"And how do you know Shadow wasn't lying?" Midna asks, raising an eyebrow.

'He seemed pretty serious about the whole thing. And I have a gut feeling he was telling the truth."

"We'll think about it later. Right now we need to get ready for the siege," Zelda sits back down, pulling over a new paper. "I'll keep it in mind, just don't jump to conclusions."

'Alright.'

"Where's Sheik?"

'I'm not sure. I left him a note at Ordon telling him where I was going. I was worried you're magic was being sapped already, and didn't want to waste time,' I think, starting to feel a little guilty for not telling him face-to-face. I don't want him to worry too badly.

"I'm just going to go and see if I can spot the others coming back," Midna turns to the door, but pauses. "Oh, and Link has a boyfriend," she teleports before I can hit her.

'I could have told her that myself!' I mind-yell at the place where she had been.

Zelda laughs and I turn, only to get a hug from my friend. "I knew it. I had a feeling you wouldn't remain clueless forever," she steps back.

'Yeeeah, I was really oblivious,' I shrug. 'But what can I say? Er, think. I had other stuff on my mind.'

"We all did."

'So, what where you talking about with Pretty Boy?' I think, changing the subject. 'I heard him say something about dining?'

"Nosy eavesdropper," I grin sheepishly. "He couldn't find his caravan, so he came back and asked if he could talk to me over dinner."

'I don't trust it.'

"I know you don't, I don't either, but this is good. We can find out more about him this way."

'You don't expect him to just spill out all his secrets, do you?'

"Of course not. All we know about him is that he is the last of his hometown and that he's a knight. We have nothing else on him."

'How do you suppose we'll find anything good? And how?'

"Well, I was thinking you could spy on him."

I laugh. 'Me? A spy? I don't think so. He'd find me in no time.'

"Not if you're bug-sized," she grins.

'No. I've had enough fun being the size of a Minish, thanks,' I put my hands in front of me, taking a step back.

"Link, I don't trust Edward any more than you do. You can easily keep an eye on him," I see a knowing spark in her eye. "And this way, you can find out if he is the one sapping magic."

Jeez, use my words against me, why don't ya? 'Fine,' I cross my arms in defeat. 'But I won't like it.'

"You'll be fine. In fact, there's someone here who can help you get around faster," Zelda smiles behind me as the door opens and I turn to see a boy my age standing there, grinning. He has grey hair and brown eyes, and it's hard to miss the whiskery moustache he has.

"There you are! I panicked after I lost you in Hylia Village. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get around as a rat?" he says.

I look at Zelda. 'Is this Rouge?' I was wondering where he went. He just disappeared.

"He did mention you called him that. Link, you make strange friends with Demigods."

'...What?' I jump when Rouge pokes my back.

"Lune told me you needed help back at the Sheikah Palace. Since he's so busy all the time, he thought I should keep an eye on you. To make sure you stayed alive," Rouge shrugs. I rub my forehead. This is too much. "Oh! And Nettle, the Demigoddess of Life, says you're welcome for making that vine-bridge."

'Zelly, my head hurts,' I mind-whine.

"Rouge, stop telling her about Demigods and Goddesses who are helping us/her."

"Okay, I'll stop. So, ready to spy a little?" he grins at me and turns into a rat. "I can't wait forever."

Wait, how can he talk while he's a rat? Then why didn't he talk before? I look at Zelda, but she's gone back to her work. "Tell me if you find out anything important. I'll be having dinner with Edward just before sunset, so get back here by then."

'I'll try,' I think, biting my lip as I grab the stone. Then I remember. 'Hey, where's Navi?'

"I sent her to watch the army. Now go," Zelda says and Rouge wraps his tail around me to put me on his back.

"So, know where this Edward guy lives?" he asks, looking at me through the corner of his eye.

I shake my head. Though, something in the back of my memory is stirring. Something about some papers. Why is this coming up so suddenly? When did I ever live in this memory? I remember being an all fours. So I was a wolf at the time. Was it when I was a pup, maybe?

With a jolt, I sit up. I can't remember what those papers said, but I know where we need to go. I tug Rouge's ears to get him to turn and he runs, letting me guide him to the room we need to get to. We come to a stop at the door, I hope it's right, it's hard to tell while I'm this size, and I get off Rouge. "Are you sure this is the room?" I shrug. "Worth a shot, I guess. I think I hear someone inside. Be careful not to get stepped on. You haven't come this far to get killed."

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I crawl under the door and smile. I got the right room after all. Pretty Boy's standing by the window, looking deep in thought. I run and hide behind a plant pot, keeping an eye out. Nothing happens, and I start to get bored, when the doors open and a person comes in. They're covered in a cloak, so I can make out any details other then the fact that they're about Twili tall.

"So, has she accepted your invite?" the voice is hushed, low and raspy, but I can make out that it's a woman.

"Yes. Quiet foolishly, might I add. This Princess claims to have the Triforce of Wisdom? She's far too gullible, yet far too observant for me to do anything big." I don't like the sounds of this.

"Whoever said she was wise? I never did. And she doesn't suspect you at all?"

"She suspects me, a little too much for my liking. And that Knight of her's didn't trust me from the start. That was smart, but I fear that the Hero of Hyrule may have caught wind of our plans."

"Which is why you've been coming and going so often so as to stay away from 'im, blah blah blah. But do you honestly think he'll be stupid enough to try and approach you about it?"

"As surprising as it is, the Hero isn't an idiot. Childish, yes, oblivious, perhaps, a moron, completely, but he knows what's going on around him and knows how to deal with it."

Geez, I don't know whether to take that as a complement or an insult.

"Could it be he knows who's been sapping the magic out of that Wind Mage?"

"I wouldn't doubt that that clone of his told him. They are, after all, like brothers," Pretty Boy turns from the window to face the cloaked woman. "Are they ready?"

"Yepparoonie. They await your orders, Sir _Edwaard_," the woman laughs and my eyes widen. That sounds like Majora's laugh.

"It's Ed_ward_," Pretty Boy says irritably.

"Whatever, Edwort. So, what am I gunna do until you have your dinner date with the Princess?"

"You're to go to the caravan and await further orders. And don't do anything stupid."

Caravan? Does he mean the army? Is he part of it? Oh crap. If that's true, then he's been able to map the inside of the Castle, probably looking for weaknesses and secret passages. He's had all the time in the world, and he knows exactly what's going on. If he's a spy for the army, then he's been able to give them critical information about the Castle and the people in it. Well, it's a good thing Zelda convinced me to spy on him.

The woman turns and I hide further behind the pot, seeing her shadow on the wall before the door opens and closes. I risk taking a peek at Pretty Boy to see he's sitting at his desk, writing hastily on a piece of paper. What could that say? I hear a squeak and look up to see Rouge on the wardrobe. He points to Pretty Boy with his tail before pointing to himself then the door. What does he think? That Pretty Boy's just going to follow a rat?

He smirks and jumps from the wardrobe, turning into his human form and coughing into his hand to gain Pretty Boy's attention. "Oh, it's you," Pretty Boy scowls. "What do you want? Aren't you busy with your little rats?"

"I have other business to attend to."

"I gave you orders to follow that Hero, did you?"

"Nope. He found out about my plans somehow and almost cut me in half. I don't dare go close to him again."

"You are a Demigod, correct? Can't you just keep him still?"

"When I'm a rat, I am as mortal as a human. I'll get killed and sent back to the Goddesses Realm, where I'll have to wait a year to return. Do you really think you can do this without my help?"

"I don't need help from someone who's close to Hylia," Pretty Boy says bitterly.

"Oh, don't get touchy. It's not her fault she wasn't to be reborn this generation, is it? It would have caused more mayhem for you anyway. She would have known who you were from the start. She would have recognized you the moment she saw you and your plans would have been ruined. I'm sure you wouldn't want that."

"What are you here for, Rat God?" he snaps. "If you haven't noticed, I have only a short time before my plans fall into action."

"Yes well, I wouldn't hope for that. I saw someone outside this door, spying on you and your company. Don't know who they were, but I assure you they'll inform the Princess when they see her," Pretty Boy stands so fast the chair falls back.

"I will look for them at once. Excuse me," he rushes out of the room, nudging the pot a little and making me move with it to keep in hiding. The door slams shut and Rouge laughs, crouching down and looking around the pot.

"Such a gullible fool. He'll do anything if it means keeping his plan alive. Now, you might want to see this letter," he picks me up and takes me to the table, putting me beside the paper. "He was about to send a letter to a particularly named being. You may want to read it."

I look down at the letter and read as well as I can, the rushed words are scribbles and ink blots cover the page. My eyes widen as I read down the page. I knew it. He's sneaking information to Majora and Ghirahim! The door creaks and Rouge snatches me off the table, hiding me behind his back as he stands in the middle of the room, in the spot he was in before.

"Whoever was spying is long gone, they didn't even go to the Princess. They probably ran out of fear. The fool," Pretty Boy says as he walks around. Rouge turns as he does, keeping his back to the door. "So," I hear the chair being moved, "what other news do you have for me?"

"Not much. All I know is that the Hero is back at the Castle, and I believe the Princess mentioned he'll be serving you tonight."

Aww man, I don't wanna do that.

"Is he? Well, that will make for an interesting dinner. I've heard he's rather clumsy."

"To a fault." Shut up, Rouge.

"You are dismissed, I'll wait for you return," Pretty Boy says when the door creaks open. Uh-oh, the person will see me! I look up to see Rouge looking over his shoulder. The door opens and I only catch a glimpse of someone before Rouge cups his hands around me.

"Sir Edward, your dinner with the Princess will be soon. She sent me to tell you," it's a maid. Thank goodness.

"I see, thank you," the door closes. "Well, Rat God, I must get ready. You are free to leave now," the chair moves and I peek through Rouge's fingers to see Pretty Boy's hand on his back, guiding him to the door. Luckily Pretty Boy opens the door for Rouge and he walks out, turning his back just before the door closes.

"Hahaha," Rouge laughs as he slips into a small room and puts me down. "He really was a fool. Turn back to normal already, before something happens."

He turns into a rat as I grow and I let him crawl up my arm and onto my shoulder. Then he goes into my hair. I exit the room and walk along. If I run, I'll alert Pretty Boy and he'll think I've been spying. Which I have.

I go back to Zelda's study and see a maid tying Zelda's hair into a braid. "Good, you're here. This may be short notice, but could you serve Sir Edward and me tonight?"

'I heard you said that, and sure. Not like I have much of a choice, anyway,' I think, nodding.

"Thank you," Zelda says to the maid, who bows and leaves the room. "Well?"

I explain what I heard and Zelda's pacing by the time I'm finished. "I see, so he _is_ giving information to Ghirahim and Majora. Did you ever see what the woman looked like?"

'No, she kept her hood up and her voice was low and raspy, it was hard to understand at some points.'

"Thank you, Link. Well, we'd better get you into some better clothes," I look down at my tunic. I don't see anything wrong. "We don't want you to look sloppy."

She hands me a royal blue tunic and grey breeches. "Put these on quickly, we'll be meeting him soon."

Once I'm in the fancier clothes and Rouge runs of to who-knows-where, I follow Zelda to the Mess Hall. No one's around today, they might be preparing for the siege. "Now Link, I know I've never treated you like you were below me, so don't get angry at whatever Edward says. He may treat you like dirt and won't take kindly if you do something rude. Like flip him off," I nod, though I smirk at the thought. "Just keep your temper in check."

'I'll try.'

"That's all I ask," Zelda sits down at the table and I stand behind her, hands behind my back. Pretty Boy enters and bows, sitting down beside Zelda.

The servants come in, set the food and leave, and all the while I notice Pretty Boy shoot me spiteful looks. I just keep my face blank. As I serve the two, I feel my heart start to beat faster for some reason. I feel something warm on my hand and look down, finding my Triforce is glowing. I grab a cloth and wrap it around my hand, tightening it with my teeth, and continue to serve, trying to ignore the growing warmth and my beating heart.

"So, is it alright if I ask why one so young is on the throne?" Pretty Boy asks.

"It's common knowledge. My mother died when I was young and my father died a few years ago. I was the only successor, so I was givin the throne," I see Zelda's knuckles turn white while holding a knife and fork. I try not to glare at Pretty Boy, he doesn't even seem too concerned. Couldn't he tell it wasn't an easy topic to talk about for Zelda?

"I'm sorry for you loss. Who raised you then?"

"The servants raised me until I was fourteen, then I started gaining responsibility and had to act like a ruler."

"You were so young. Did you not have a childhood?"

"I did, just not a long one. I knew since I was little that I wouldn't have a normal childhood, but I do not mind. I love helping my subjects and giving them hope."

"Hope. Can you really provide it forever?"

"I know I can't, but while it's there, I'll make sure my people know."

"Pour me more wine," Pretty Boy says to me.

I do as he says and pour the wine. He notices my Triforce glowing and grabs my wrist, making me almost spill the wine all over his robes. "Ah, I forgot that you carry the Triforce of Courage. Tell me, Princess, does this boy really have the courage that this relic gives?"

"He has more than you would imagine. The Triforce is not what makes us who we are, it contributes to our skills, yes, but not us as a whole. Link is not always brave, nor is he always keen on things." That's putting it lightly. "But he is brave when it counts."

"When does it count?"

"I'm sure you can figure that out," Zelda smiles. I tug my wrist away from Pretty Boy and put down the bottle before I spill it everywhere.

"I heard from the town that you're father was the King's personal knight." I nod, Zelda told me the exact same when she chose me to be her knight. "It seems it runs in the family. I also heard you look like your father, except your hair is blonde like your mothers. Was her's as messy?" I shake my head. "Do you have any photos of them?" I put my hand in my Never-Ending Bag. I stored the photo I got from Charlie in there. "May I see it?"

I look at his outstretched hand suspiciously. The photo doesn't have anything that will reveal me as a girl, but I don't know if I want to give the one picture of me and my family to a man I distrust. He lowers his hand awkwardly when I shake my head. "I see, personal attachment. You know, it's never good for thoughts to linger on the dead. It won't bring them back."

'I know, but that doesn't mean you have to forget about them,' I think to myself.

"Sir Edward, I would advise not to go any further. Family is a touchy subject for either of us," Zelda cuts in.

"Yes, I understand, yes. But I have one last thing to ask," Pretty Boy looks me right in the eye and my Triforce burns for some reason. "How did you're parents know they gave birth to a Hero? Surely naming you Link was no coincidence." I shrug. I really don't know. Charlie hasn't told me yet why my parents gave me a boy's name. "Does the Triforce appear when you are born?"

"Sometimes, yes, the Triforce appears the day we're born. But sometimes, it shows up later, when we are older or sometimes even just before we find out who we truly are," Zelda explains. "I didn't have mine until I was fourteen."

"The same age you become the ruler of Hyrule I see."

"Yes."

"So, were you born with it?"

I shrug again. I've had it as long as I can remember, so maybe. I can't be positive though.

"Do you know how the Triforce was brought to Hyrule?" we both shake our heads. "I do. Well, somewhat. There was an old tomb back in Termina that told me about it. It's said that the first Hero," I notice his eyes flash with intense loathing for a second, "got it. When he completed three trials, he gained the it. The Triforce Power, Wisdom and Courage were his. After he died, it's believed it was sealed inside an ancient Temple, which turned into the Temple of Time later on. When the Gerudo King at the time got it, that is when it split. Interesting, isn't it?"

So, Sky had the Triforce? The entire relic? I wonder how he dealt with that kind of power.

"Yes. Thank you for telling us," Zelda smiles.

Nothing interesting happens for the rest of the dinner. Pretty Boy drops the subject and he and Zelda just speak about their homelands. I do less and less as time goes on and I start to get board, wishing I can just go and find Sheik if he's here.

"Princess, I can't help but wonder if you made a mistake with that boy," my ears twitch at Pretty Boy's words and I come out of my thoughts. "He's a mute, with no real talent at all and he's unable to communicate. Why did you want him to be your personal knight? Just because he defeated Ganondorf?"

"No. We are both incarnations, Sir Edward, and we both have met many times in our past lives. We aren't strangers to each other, from the start we knew we were friends, but it wasn't until after Ganondorf that we really became friends in this lifetime."

"Some friendship. Tell me, were you and him perhaps lovers at one point?" I try not to gag. I suspect all my incarnations before me to have the hots for the Zeldas, but no. Not this lifetime.

"No, we're just friends in this lifetime. We haven't known each other long, anyway."

"I see. Sir Link," I look at him. "I wish to have a privet word with our Princess here. Mind stepping outside?" I tense, looking at Zelda. She nods and I walk out, closing the doors behind me, but I press my ear to the door, not intending to leave Zelda alone with him more that she already has. Sadly, I can't hear a thing through the doors, so I have to leave. I walk away with my eyes glued on the floor, thinking. Why was he asking about our families? And why does he want to speak to Zelda alone? I hope he doesn't do anything to her.

I bump into somebody and look up, smiling when I see it's Sheik. 'You made it!' I see his face and my smile gets wiped off of mine. 'I'm in trouble, aren't I?'

"What do you think?" he asks, crossing his arms. "That was a stupid stunt, Link. What if you had gotten hurt? And that letter wasn't helpful. Did you really think writing '_I'm going to the Castle. Don't worry about me,_' would work? Of course I was worried! You were injured!"

'There wasn't time to explain, though! I sent a letter to Zelda telling her that someone was sapping magic, but she never got it because Majora intercepted the letter and the army was passing Ordon. I only gave them an easier time to get here. That's why I left, to warn Zelda.'

"And you couldn't have waited for me to get back, could you?"

'Nope, my mind doesn't always think things through, Sheik. Besides, it's a good thing I came back. I found out that Pretty Boy is working with Majora and Ghirahim.'

Sheik shakes his head. "I should have figured. But give me a better letter if this happens again. Okay?"

'Okay,' I nod.

"Where's Zelda know?"

I roll my eyes. 'She had to go have dinner with Pretty Boy, he told me to leave and Zelda just nodded, thinking I should. I don't know what's going on, and I'm a little worried.'

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She can take care of herself," Sheik puts an arm around my shoulders and we go for a walk. I look back the way I came, hoping it was a good thing that I listened to Zelda.

Gery: Phew, well I'm not dead :D But I think I will be soon. Only three more weeks until exams, and I have a provincial this semester, but before that, I have two dance recitals and a singing/piano recital coming up in about a week and a bit, so I'll be working on those stuffs instead of this. They're part of the reason why it took so long in the first place. Ah well, things just don't always go as planned, do they? Well, hoped you enjoyed! See ya!


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